Chapter 16
Six months later, Corinne earned the advisory seat.
Not because I gave it to her.
Thomas Bellini stepped down after a health problem, and another selection was held.
This time Corinne won.
Narrowly.
She walked into my office afterward holding the result card.
“I did it.”
I looked up.
“Yes.”
“No congratulations?”
“Do you need one?”
She thought.
Then smiled.
“No.”
Good.
She sat.
For the first time in years, we spoke as two adults with different authority instead of siblings trapped inside our father’s decisions.
“I still think he should’ve let me try.”
“He should have.”
“And I still hate that you got the chance automatically.”
“Fair.”
She looked at me.
“You’re not going to defend yourself?”
“For being born male?”
That made her laugh.
“No.”
Silence settled comfortably.
Then she asked:
“Do you think Ruby will want this life?”
I looked through the window.
Ruby and Noah were outside drawing chalk animals on the terrace.
“I hope she doesn’t know yet.”
Corinne nodded.
“That’s probably healthier.”
“Yes.”
She looked toward the children.
“I thought preparing Noah meant making sure he never came second.”
I waited.
“Now I think maybe preparing him means making sure being second doesn’t destroy him.”
That was better.
Much better.
No rank guarantees peace.
May you like
No inheritance guarantees worth.
If our children learned that before adulthood, they might avoid half the damage our generation spent years repairing.
