Chapter 2
Ten years went by.
Some years dragged and some of them went past before I could look at them.
The TV was carrying the ceremony for the National Medal of Science.
The host read out a name with real excitement.
"Jonathan Reed."
I was in the kitchen, slicing fruit for my son. When I heard that name, my hand froze mid-cut.
On the screen, a man who was both familiar and unfamiliar walked up to the stage.
He was leaner than he had been ten years earlier, and sharper.
The set of his eyes and the shape of his face matched the small face I looked at every day.
He accepted the trophy and certificate, then stepped up to the microphone.
Camera flashes went off nonstop.
He had become the man in the spotlight, exactly as he always said he would.
"Thank you to my team and to everyone who made this work possible," he said.
His voice came through the speakers, steady and strong.
"As a researcher, I have given all of my time to my work. We have made a real breakthrough in quantum information science, and it is the honor of my life."
He paused.
"But there are always regrets in life," he said.
His gaze drifted, as if he were looking through the camera, far away.
"I've found success in my career, but I never had a real family. My biggest regret is not having a child to carry on my legacy and share my happiness."
He spoke with such sincerity.
The camera held on his face, and the loneliness in his eyes was easy to read.
I turned off the TV.
The living room fell silent again.
"Mom, what are you watching?"
My son, Nathan Carter, came over with a thick book in his arms. He had just gotten out of the shower, his hair was still damp, and his eyes were bright.
"Nothing, just a boring show," I said.
I handed him the sliced apple.
He took it happily, and then he handed me a certificate like he was presenting treasure.
"Mom, look," he said.
Big gold letters ran across the top.
[First Place, Regional Middle School Math Olympiad.]
[Recipient: Nathan Carter.]
He was at the top of his grade, and he came in first on nearly every test.
"That's amazing," I said.
I patted his head.
"Mom, do you think I could be on TV someday?"
He looked up at me, his eyes sparkling.
I looked at him, into the eyes that matched the man on that stage.
I smiled.
"Of course you can," I said. "If you want it, you can do anything."
He nodded enthusiastically, taking a big bite of the apple.
Ten years earlier, Jonathan told me I wasn't worthy of his ambition.
Ten years later, I was holding on to the one thing he wanted most, the "heir" he had talked about on national television.
Maybe that was the best arrangement fate could have made.
My phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
I hesitated for a moment, then answered.
"Hello? Emily? It's Rachel Lewis. Do you still remember me?"