He was not asked whether Sebastian should forgive her.
He was not shown legal papers as proof that his father loved him.
When Lavinia requested a chance to apologize, Sebastian discussed it with Mara and the counselor before asking Teddy what he wanted.
His son chose a letter.
“Not a visit.”
“That’s fine,” Sebastian said.
“Will she be cross?”
“She can have feelings about it. You still get to say no.”
The letter arrived two weeks later.
It was brief.
Lavinia wrote that she should not have made Teddy serve guests to earn his seat.
He had never needed to earn being Sebastian’s son.
Her feelings about the family were an adult responsibility.
She was sorry.
Teddy asked Rose to read it aloud.
Then he took it to Sebastian.
“Did you make her write that?”
“No.”
“Did she mean it?”
“I hope so. I can’t know everything she feels.”
His son studied the page.
“Do I have to say it’s okay?”
“No.”
Teddy folded the letter.
“It wasn’t.”
Sebastian nodded.
“No. It wasn’t.”
The boy put it in a drawer.
He did not write back.
For once, an adult apology did not come with another task attached.
The bowling party happened on a rainy Sunday.
Six children arrived with damp coats and enormous energy.
Nell wore shoes with flashing lights.
Teddy’s school friends argued immediately about the best bowling ball.
One boy rolled his first attempt into the gutter before it reached the halfway mark.
Everyone cheered anyway.
Sebastian had rented two lanes.
No photographer.
No donor tables.
No foundation banner.
Lavinia had spoken about turning Teddy’s birthday into an occasion people would remember.
This one was memorable because the pizza arrived with the wrong topping and a child insisted the scoring machine was personally insulting him.
Mara laughed until she had to sit down.
Rose came as a guest because Teddy invited her.
She stayed for an hour, ate pizza, and left for plans of her own.
Teddy watched her put on her coat.
For a second, Sebastian saw the familiar worry.
Then Rose crouched.
“I’ll see you Monday.”
