letter upstairs unopened.
Long after everyone was asleep, I sat beside Leo’s crib beneath the nursery lamp.
On the back of the envelope was a tiny sentence I hadn’t noticed.
For the day you understand that choosing your family is different from losing yourself inside it.
I stared at it for a long time.
Then I opened the letter.
My mother’s letter was six pages.
I read the first page twice.
Dear Phoebe,
If your father has followed instructions, you are reading this after becoming a mother.
If your father
