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He’d sent me one last letter after that. I’d tossed it in the shoebox without reading it. Why I kept it instead of throwing it away, I didn’t know. Perhaps it was time to read it now.
In the meantime, I needed to ask Dottie one more question. “On my DNA report, an L.H. showed up as my half sibling. Do you know who that is?”
Dottie paused. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“You do?”
“Yes. L.H. stands for Lilly Hill.” Dottie’s voice grew soft. “You saw her picture in my kitchen when you came to my house.”
“That’s right. I remember. Who is she?”
Dottie took a breath. “She’s my daughter.”
“Your daughter?”
“Yes. Mine and Eddie’s. I didn’t tell you when you asked about her picture because I wasn’t ready. Plus, I wasn’t sure how your father would feel about it, but we talked, and he wants you to know about your half sister.”
I thought about the blond-haired woman in the picture with blue eyes similar to mine. “You and my father had a child together.”
“We did. We were just seventeen and in high school. We tried to keep her, but it didn’t work out, so we gave her up for adoption.”
“That must’ve been extremely difficult.”
“It was, but things have a way of working out. Lilly was raised by a wonderful family and had a better life than we could’ve given her. Your father went on to marry your mother, and they had you. I had another relationship as well.”
“And now?”
“And now your father and I are friends. Maybe a little more than friends, but first and foremost, friends. He really loved your mother, you know. Her death shattered him.”
I thought about the images I’d seen of my parents in the home movies. “I know he did. Her affair must’ve devastated him.”
“I imagine so. We’ve actually never talked about it.”
“No? What about Lilly? Are the two of you close? Is she close to my dad?”
Dottie sighed. “Several years ago, Lilly reached out, wanting to meet me. We met at a restaurant and hit it off. When I told her about your father and my belief that he was innocent, she didn’t understand. I think his conviction made her feel uncomfortable.
“Anyway, we saw each other a few more times after that, but we don’t really have a relationship. Every once in a while I’ll send her a text, but she only responds with a thumbs-up.”
“I’m so sorry, Dottie. Maybe things will change once he’s exonerated.”
“I hope so. Also, I want you to know that contrary to the gossip, Eddie and I weren’t seeing each other when he was married to your mom. We weren’t even in contact back then. I was living in Scotland. It was only after I heard about your father’s arrest that I came back to Texas to see if I could help. I thought maybe they’d ask me to be a character witness or something, but that never happened.”
“You’ve been through a lot, Dottie.”
She sighed. “I have, but so have you.”
“Have I?”
“Yes, you have.”
I wasn’t so sure. While I’d lost both my parents at a young age, I’d been raised by my incredible aunt and uncle who gave me an amazing childhood. I had a loving husband, two fantastic kids, a job I loved, and I had Lia. I truly had so much to be grateful for.
Dottie and I said good-bye and ended the call. Then, I sat by myself in the car, drinking my coffee, trying to figure out how I was going to convince Aunt Ruthie to write a statement, urging that my father be released from jail.
