Chapter 28 - Evelyn's Final Request|
The call came late on a Friday night, originating from the warden's office of the state correctional facility. Evelyn had suffered a severe stroke in her cell and had been transferred to the prison's palliative care ward. The doctor stated she had, at most, a few days left.
"She has requested to see you and Lily," the warden stated over the phone. "It is entirely your choice. We are simply fulfilling a dying inmate's final request."
I thanked him, hung up, and immediately called Lily. I explained the situation with brutal honesty, refusing to sugarcoat the reality of her grandmother's impending death.
"Do you want to go?" I asked, giving her an absolute choice.
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. I could hear the faint sound of campus traffic in the background.
"No," Lily finally answered. Her voice was resolute, completely devoid of guilt.
"Are you sure? This will be the last opportunity to say anything to her."
"I have nothing left to say to her, Dad. Going there would just be giving her one last chance to look at me and try to make me feel small. I am not going to give her the satisfaction of an audience for her final act."
"Okay. Then we don't go."
"Does that make me a bad person?" Lily asked quietly, a brief flicker of doubt breaking through. "Refusing a dying woman's request?"
"No, Lily. It makes you a person who fiercely protects her own peace. Forgiveness is not a mandatory requirement for healing. You don't owe her your presence, and you certainly don't owe her your absolution."
"Good. Because I am not going."
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Evelyn Hart died three days later in a sterile prison hospital bed, entirely alone. She passed away without the wealth she had hoarded, without the family she had tried to completely control, and without the final twisted victory of seeing us bend to her will one last time.
When I told Lily the news, she simply nodded, closed her textbook, and asked if I wanted to go get ice cream. The monster was finally dead, but we had stopped fearing her a long time ago.
