Chapter 183

• When we spent the Christmas' holiday at home our senior year, Lila woke up early and stumbled into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Crossing into the den, her attention was drawn to the large homemade red stockings hanging from the chimney. Her reaction to seeing the stuffed stocking named 'Lila' in sparkly glitter, and most of the presents under the tree addressed to her from Santa, went unobserved.
• All I know is that when I finally woke up, I went out to see a teary-eyed girlfriend fiercely hugging my mother on the sofa. When she got tired of that, all she had to do was turn in the other direction and get another hug from my dad. By the time we left to go back to school two days later, she was comfortable calling my parents, Mom and Dad.
• I kept speculating how my mother was going to take this. She was such a nurturing soul. That was what drew her to nursing in the first place. She specialized in neonatal care, helping the most helpless beings in the world. She shed tears of happiness for each baby that survived; tears of sorrow for each that didn't.