“But I showed you the paints, Mommy. I said I wanted to make Aunt Jessica’s car pretty.”
Amanda closed her eyes.
I suddenly understood why Lily had looked so proud yesterday.
She believed she’d received permission.
“You told her I wouldn’t mind,” I said.
“I didn’t realize she meant the actual car!”
“Then why didn’t you tell me any of this yesterday?”
Amanda’s voice rose.
“Because you were already upset!”
“I was upset about the paint. I wasn’t angry with Lily.”
“You don’t understand how embarrassing it was!”
That stopped me.
Amanda looked toward Dad, then back at me.
“When you asked about money, I realized I’d probably let her do something expensive. I knew Dad had heard us arguing. I felt like everyone was looking at me as if I’d been careless.”
I looked at her.
“So instead of admitting you made a mistake, you accused me of hating Lily?”
Amanda said nothing.
“Do you know how much that hurt?”
She turned away.
“I was angry.”
“So was I. But I didn’t threaten to take away someone you love.”
Dad stepped closer.
“That’s what concerns me most, Amanda. You made Jessica’s relationship with Lily part of an argument about your responsibility.”
Amanda’s eyes filled.
“I was trying to defend my daughter.”
“From what?” I asked. “I hugged her. I told her that her drawing was beautiful. I waited until she left before I spoke to you.”
Amanda looked at me, and for the first time, she seemed unsure of her own version of what happened.
Then Lily tugged her sleeve.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Is Aunt Jessica not going to be my aunt anymore?”
I froze, stunned by her question.
“What?”
Lily clutched her rabbit.
“Yesterday, when you were shouting, I heard you tell her to stay away from me.”
Amanda went pale.
“I didn’t know you heard that.”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears.
“Did I make Aunt Jessica stop loving me because I painted her car?”
I knelt immediately.
“Oh, Lily, no.”
“But Mommy said you were mad about my present.”
“I was worried about my car,” I explained gently. “But that doesn’t mean I stopped loving you. I could never stop being your aunt.”
She wiped her eyes.
“Even if I did something bad?”
“You weren’t trying to do anything bad. You wanted to surprise me.”
I touched her little hand.
“But if something belongs to another person, you have to ask that person before changing it. Even when you’re trying to do something nice.”
Lily thought about that.
“Like when I wanted to color Mommy’s bedroom wall?”
“Exactly.”
She looked toward Amanda.
“Mommy told me I couldn’t because it’s her wall.”
I saw Dad glance at Amanda.
Her eyes were fixed on Lily.
“That’s right,” she whispered.
“Then I should’ve asked Aunt Jessica about her car?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” Amanda said quietly. “You should have.”
“But you said it was okay.”
Amanda knelt beside us.
“I know. And that was my mistake.”
Lily looked puzzled.
“Your mistake?”
“I wasn’t listening carefully. I should never have told you Aunt Jessica wouldn’t mind without asking her.”
Amanda brushed Lily’s hair behind her ear.
“And I was wrong to get angry at Aunt Jessica afterward.”
Lily looked between us.
“Are you still mad?”
I shook my head.
“I’m not mad at you.”
Amanda swallowed.
“And I’m going to make things right.”
Lily seemed relieved, although she still looked embarrassed.
“Can I go play now?”
“Of course,” Amanda said.
Before leaving, Lily wrapped her arms around me.
“I’m sorry about your car.”
I hugged her tightly.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
When she disappeared into the living room, Amanda sank into a chair.
For a while, nobody said anything.
Then she picked up our mother’s note again.
“I’d forgotten about this,” she admitted.
Dad sat opposite her.
“I know.”
Amanda traced the edge of the paper.
“I remember Mom crying when she saw the jewelry box. I thought she’d hate my present.”
“She loved that you wanted to make me happy,” Dad said. “She just wanted you to understand that you couldn’t decide what to do with someone else’s belongings.”
Amanda looked toward the living room.
“And I told Lily basically the opposite.”
“Yes,” Dad replied.
