- 14 hours ago
Ten Years of Secrets He's Not My Family - Full
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Short filmTranscript
00:00After 10 years of marriage, I discovered an unfamiliar paternity test on my husband Bruce Dryden's computer.
00:04The report says that the son I've raised for a decade, Gerald Dryden, isn't biologically mine, but I raised this
00:09child myself.
00:10If that's the case, where's my biological child?
00:12Honey, what are you still doing in the study so late?
00:15Hearing his voice, I quickly close the document. Guilt washes over me. He notices anyway. His face darkens as he
00:20looks at me.
00:20So you don't trust me that much?
00:22I open the paternity test report and confront him, demanding an explanation.
00:26But he quickly shuts down the computer, accusing me of invading his privacy.
00:29Watching his retreating back, I realize how distant we've become after 10 years of marriage.
00:33I pull open the bottom drawer, revealing a signed share transfer agreement.
00:37I had planned to transfer 15% of the company's shares to him as a gift for our 10th anniversary
00:43tomorrow.
00:43But now, it seems pointless.
00:46When I return to the bedroom, Bruce is already in bed as if nothing happened.
00:50I stand at the door for a long time, watching his sleeping back before turning to the guest room.
00:54I don't sleep all night.
00:56The next morning, Bruce wakes me up full of anger.
00:59Thera, why are you sleeping in the guest room?
01:01I need some space.
01:03He tries to say something, but in the end, he just shakes his head.
01:07Whatever.
01:10After Bruce leaves for work, I make breakfast, as usual.
01:14Gerald sits at the table, drinking milk.
01:16Mom, you look pale.
01:18I touch his hair, soft and curly like Bruce's.
01:20I didn't sleep well last night.
01:22Hurry up and eat, or you'll be late.
01:24I carefully take off a broken hair, stuck on it.
01:26There's a hair.
01:28Let me take it out for you.
01:31After that, I head to the paternity testing center.
01:33How soon can I get the results with an expedited service?
01:37Normally, it takes five working days.
01:39But with an expedited service, you can get the results before PM today.
01:43The cost is triple.
01:45Expedited, please.
01:48My hand trembles a bit when I submit the sample.
01:51After that, I sit in the waiting area, watching the clock tick by.
01:55At 3.40 PM, my phone rings.
01:57The results are out.
01:58I open the electronic report and go straight to the end.
02:00Genetic marker analysis does not support Thera Dryden being Gerald Dryden's biological mother.
02:04My phone slipped from my hand, clattering to the ground.
02:07I thought I was fully prepared, but I wasn't.
02:09Where is my real child?
02:11I rushed to the maternity hospital, where I gave birth nine years ago.
02:14I meet the obstetrician from back then, who is now the department head.
02:18I get straight to the point.
02:19Dr. Felix, I'd like to review my delivery records and hospital files from back then.
02:24Her smile falters.
02:26It's been so long.
02:27The files might be archived.
02:30After some effort, the records room staff finally bring over a folder.
02:32I flip through it and find the records are extremely brief,
02:35listing only admission and discharge dates, delivery method, and the newborn's weight.
02:39Is this all there is?
02:41That's all in the system.
02:42Paper records for obstetial cases are usually kept for ten years,
02:46and yours is almost up.
02:48What about the newborn's footprints?
02:49The blood sample records?
02:51Those should be in the Niefenautil records, but we couldn't find them.
02:54Something isn't right.
02:55My phone rings.
02:57It's Bruce.
02:58Where did you go?
02:59I picked up Gerald.
03:01I'm out running errands and will be home soon.
03:03I hang up immediately.
03:05After dinner, I excuse myself with a headache and head to the bedroom early.
03:08Bruce stays in the living room, helping Gerald with his homework.
03:10Their voices drift in faintly.
03:11Dad, is Mom upset?
03:14Mom's just tired.
03:15Finish your homework and go to bed early.
03:17Once they've both fallen asleep, I begin to quietly search the entire house.
03:20The master bedroom, the living room, and Gerald's room.
03:23I search everywhere, but I find nothing.
03:25Finally, I look at the computer in this study, thinking the truth must be there.
03:29When Bruce pushes the door open, I'm tidying up the desk.
03:32He glances at the computer screen, which is now back to the desktop, showing a photo of
03:35us by the sea three years ago.
03:37Not asleep yet?
03:39Just going through some old files.
03:41Get some rest.
03:43I sit in the dark, listening to his footsteps fade away.
03:46That night, I don't turn the computer back on and lie in bed with my mind in a mess.
03:49The next morning, I tell Bruce to take Gerald to school.
03:53You take Gerald to school today.
03:57He looks at me, then picks up the car keys.
04:01All right.
04:01As soon as they leave, I head straight to the study.
04:03I turn on the computer and type in the password.
04:05Our wedding anniversary.
04:06It's wrong.
04:07I try his birthday.
04:07Wrong again.
04:08Then our son's birthday.
04:09Still dead end.
04:10Then the date we first met.
04:11And the day the company was founded.
04:12None of them work.
04:13The system prompts me to try again in 15 minutes.
04:14I sit in the chair, staring at the login screen.
04:16This computer, which we bought together, is now locked to me.
04:19When Bruce gets home from work in the evening, he takes off his coat.
04:21I'm flying to Portland tomorrow.
04:23Don't know how long I'll be gone.
04:25I come out of the kitchen with a dish.
04:28So urgent.
04:29Who's going with you?
04:31It's a last-minute arrangement, Thera.
04:33Could you stop it?
04:34I turn to serve the macaroni, my hands trembling slightly.
04:36Just asking.
04:38He doesn't say anything more and goes straight into the bedroom.
04:41Dinner is done in silence.
04:42Gerald seems to sense something and unusually doesn't pick at his food.
04:45After Bruce takes a shower, he comes out and picks up the coat on the sofa to hang it on
04:49the rack.
04:49A receipt falls out of his pocket and lands at my feet.
04:53After he leaves, I pick it up and take a look.
04:55It's a perfume invoice.
04:56Expensive.
04:57Purchased yesterday afternoon.
04:58I don't recognize the perfume, but I know it's not for me.
05:01In ten years of marriage, Bruce has never given me a gift.
05:03I used to make excuses for him, thinking he's not romantic, too busy with work.
05:07Now it seems he's not incapable of romance.
05:09He just never shows me any when we are together.
05:11I jot down the information on the invoice.
05:13The next morning, as soon as Bruce heads to the airport, I call the boutique.
05:19I'd like to check this invoice, yes, from yesterday afternoon.
05:24Let me check.
05:25Found it.
05:26The purchaser is Miss Judith Dickey.
05:28Judith Dickey.
05:29The name rings a bell.
05:30Bruce's secretary, hired half a year ago, is a divorced woman in her 30s.
05:34On the way to the airport, I don't know what I want to confirm.
05:37I wait outside the international departure hall for half an hour before I see Bruce and her.
05:40Bruce's face wears a relaxed smile I haven't seen in a long time.
05:44Then, in front of the security checkpoint, Judith stops and naturally reaches up to straighten
05:48Bruce's collar.
05:50Bruce doesn't flinch.
05:51He leans down and whispers something in her ear.
05:53Judith smiles, then rises on her toes and kisses him on the lips.
05:57Bruce's hand rests on her waist for a moment before they part, as if it's second nature
06:00to them.
06:00The last shred of self-deception I held onto vanishes completely.
06:03So those late nights at work, those impatient looks he gave me, they all had a reason.
06:07As I watch their intimate figures, a suspicion gradually forms in my mind.
06:10Could that child, who isn't mine, have anything to do with this woman?
06:13On the way back, I call the private detective.
06:16Find out more about Judith Dickley.
06:17I want to know everything about her, especially if she has any children.
06:25The detective works quickly, and by the afternoon of the next day, I receive the investigation
06:28report.
06:28Judith Dickey, 32 years old, divorced five years ago, has a 10-year-old son named Carter
06:32Dickey, who attends a primary school in the west of the city.
06:34That date suddenly jumps out at me.
06:35Judith's son is only a week younger than Gerald.
06:37For the first time in 10 years, rage surged through me.
06:39I sit on the sofa, holding the report sent by the detective.
06:40Then, an idea pops into my head, and I rush into the study.
06:44My fingers hover over the keyboard before slowly typing in Judith's birthday.
06:47The desktop opens, revealing only a folder named Work Backup.
06:50I click on it, and it's filled with subfolders, organized by year.
06:53Starting 11 years ago, the earliest folder contains scanned old photos.
06:56Bruce and Judith in school uniforms, standing under a locust tree.
06:5819-year-old Bruce smiles, his hand on Judith's shoulder.
07:01Judith, with a ponytail, looks up at him.
07:02The next one is from college, in Thalaberry.
07:04The one after that is their graduation photo, both in academic gowns, holding hands.
07:07That year, Bruce told me the company was in trouble, and we canceled our anniversary trip.
07:10I closed the folder, feeling a bit nauseous.
07:1210 years.
07:13Every single one of them built on lies.
07:15Looking at the photo of Bruce and me on our wedding day, I feel a wave of revulsion.
07:18At 3 in the afternoon, I drive to the west of the city.
07:21The primary school is even older than the detective described.
07:23I sit in the car, gripping the steering wheel.
07:26Carter walks out alone, with no one to pick him up.
07:28He looks around, then slowly moves forward along the sidewalk.
07:31I hold my breath.
07:32That child, Carter.
07:34No, that's my child.
07:35The way he walks is a bit like mine, with a slight inward tilt.
07:38When he raises his hand to adjust his hair, I see a birthmark on his wrist, in the same
07:42spot as mine.
07:43I see dust on his eyelashes, his lips a bit dry, the edge of his shoe already coming unglued.
07:47His eyes look empty, not like those of a 10-year-old.
07:49I cover my mouth to keep from making a sound.
07:52A boy with empty eyes.
07:53A childhood that should have been his to enjoy, lost in the story of adult betrayal.
07:58He walks away, and disappears around the corner.
08:02I collapse over the steering wheel and cry uncontrollably, for that child walking home
08:07alone, for the 10 years of misplaced life, and for myself, living like a fool in a play
08:12orchestrated by the traitors.
08:13Then I dry my tears and start the car.
08:17At the law firm, I place the USB drive in front of lawyer Henley.
08:21It contains backup evidence of Bruce's infidelity.
08:24I want a divorce.
08:25I want him to leave with nothing.
08:27I want custody of my child, and for him to pay the price he deserves.
08:31As I leave the law firm, I remember what Bruce said when he proposed 10 years ago.
08:36Thera, I'll give you a lifetime of stability.
08:39So the lifetime he meant was only 10 years.
08:42No, maybe even less.
08:44I take out my phone and call the company's second largest shareholder, also my father's
08:48friend.
08:49Bruce probably forgot that the company bears the Adam name.
08:54Mr. Watt, I'd like to talk to you about next week's board meeting.
08:58Bruce became the general manager because I persuaded my father to give him a chance.
09:01If I could elevate him, I could just as easily bring him crashing down.
09:03Two weeks after Bruce left, I liquidate everything I can under my name.
09:06These days, I've been spending every afternoon near the elementary school in the west of the
09:08city.
09:08One rainy day, he waits under the awning of the school's convenience store for half an
09:10hour before running home in the rain.
09:11I sit in my car, the rain blurring the windows.
09:15On Friday afternoon, I arrive early near the school.
09:18When I see Carter come out, I get out of the car and pretend to be a passerby, letting the
09:23folder in my hand drop in front of him.
09:24He pauses, then bends down to pick it up for me.
09:29Thank you, little one.
09:30Is your mom not here yet?
09:33Mom's working late today.
09:36So how do you get home?
09:39By bus.
09:41Here, have some water.
09:46Does your mom often work late?
09:48Sometimes.
09:49What about your dad?
09:51He doesn't answer, just looking down at his shoes.
09:53Buy yourself a new pair of shoes.
09:54No, I can't accept that.
09:57I insist, placing the money in the side pocket of his school bag before walking away.
10:02After a few steps, I look back.
10:04He looks a bit bewildered.
10:06That evening, I stand at the door of Gerald's room.
10:09Mom, what's wrong?
10:10Did you finish your homework?
10:12I finished it ages ago.
10:14Dad said if I make it into the top ten in the midterms, he'll take me to Disney.
10:46That's great.
10:48Fire Judith and ensure you never see her again.
10:50Second, tell me what happened at the hospital ten years ago.
10:53You're out of your mind.
10:55Do you really think a few photos will do anything?
10:58Bruce, don't forget that the company bears the Adam name.
11:01You're where you are because of me, and I can just as easily take it all back.
11:07I turn to the bedroom and bring out a document, handing it to him.
11:10It's a pregnancy test report showing that I'm five weeks along.
11:13For the sake of ten years of marriage and our child, if you do as I say, we can continue.
11:17After all, we still have Gerald.
11:22Bruce reads the pregnancy test report, stunned for a moment, then raises his head and stares at me.
11:27You're pregnant?
11:29Five weeks along.
11:31The doctor says it's stable this time.
11:33His expression shifts, his throat moves, and his gaze flicks between me and the report.
11:36I continue.
11:37So as long as you cut ties with Judith and make her leave the company and our lives, I can
11:42let bygones be bygores.
11:44We have Gerald, and now this child.
11:47I need to think.
11:51That night, the light in his room stays on late.
11:55The next morning, as I sip my coffee, I watch Bruce come out with dark circles under his eyes.
12:02I slide a glass of water towards him.
12:04He takes it silently, without looking at me.
12:08I've made up my mind, Thera.
12:09We...
12:10Stop.
12:11What do you mean?
12:12Don't we have a child now?
12:13I told you I'm pregnant, and you needed a whole night to decide whether to break up with her?
12:18We have a child!
12:19Don't you think about the child or Gerald?
12:20Child?
12:21You mean the one I've raised for ten years, who turns out to be yours and Judith's?
12:26Thanks to that file on your computer.
12:28The password was Judith's birthday, and you've been using it for ten years, right?
12:32How could you know?
12:33When did you find out?
12:35Let me explain.
12:36Explain how you switched the children when I gave birth, how you got Judith into the company,
12:39or how you've been laughing at me behind my back all these years.
12:42The most ridiculous part is, when you look at that child, the occasional guilt you show,
12:45do you feel guilty for deceiving me, or for not being a better father to your own son?
12:48Carter.
12:49Where's Carter?
12:50Carter, I need to see him.
12:51It's too late.
12:51My son is somewhere you can't find him.
12:52Your son with Judith is still sleeping upstairs, unaware of the choice his father is facing.
12:56Thera, you can't do this!
12:57He's my child!
13:00From the day you switched them, you didn't deserve to be a father.
13:03Now please leave my house.
13:04From the sound of the car driving away, I know where he's going to find Judith and his
13:07lost son from ten years ago, but he won't find Carter.
13:09Three days ago, when the detective gave me Judith's information, I saw the child again.
13:12I always felt I wasn't Mom's child.
13:15Otherwise, why would she leave me here to fend for myself?
13:18I'll take you away.
13:20Let's start over.
13:21His eyes, so much like mine, were holding a sense of maturity beyond his age.
13:28Yesterday's flight took him abroad with my assistant.
13:31There are good schools, a house, and new friends waiting for him.
13:34Once I finish things here, I'll be reunited with my son.
13:39Bruce finally showed up.
13:41The agreement is clear.
13:43There's nothing to discuss.
13:44I can't divorce you.
13:47Think about our ten years together and the children.
13:50Children who?
13:52The one in the video or the one upstairs?
13:54A week ago, Judith sent a bunch of files.
13:56When I opened them, there were videos.
13:58Carter was crying, locked in a dark room.
13:59There was another one where Carter, only five or six, was blamed for spilling milk.
14:02The email had just one sentence.
14:04Thanks for raising my son all these years.
14:06I read them all night, vomiting three times by dawn.
14:08It seems like he wants to explain.
14:09Those videos, Judith sometimes loses control.
14:11That's your son.
14:12You visit her every week, only noticing her new perfume and nails, but never seeing the bruises on your son?
14:17I've already hired a lawyer.
14:18If you don't sign, we'll go to court.
14:20The evidence of switching the children, your affair photos, and those videos will all become part of the case file.
14:24Are you crazy?
14:26The company is about to go public.
14:27This is the worst time.
14:29So sign it, while I'm still giving you a chance.
14:34The door closes, and he stands outside for a long time before leaving.
14:39Three days later, Bruce signs.
14:41Four days after the divorce, Bruce and Judith's wedding photo appears on social media.
14:45Judith is in a white wedding dress, with Bruce's arm around her, though his expression is a bit stiff.
14:50The caption reads,
14:51Ten years of waiting, we're finally together.
14:53I take a screenshot, then turn off my phone.
14:56In the afternoon, Henley calls.
14:58Sure.
14:58Miss Adam, we have all the materials.
15:00The bank transfer records from when the children were switched.
15:02His communication records with Judith, the abused videos, and medical records are all enough to file a case.
15:07But are you really not going to see him one last time?
15:09He came to the firm yesterday, asking me to pass on a message that he knows he was wrong.
15:13It's too late.
15:16The next morning, the plane takes off.
15:19My assistant, Nellie, meets me at the airport and tells me,
15:22Carter is doing better this week.
15:24He's starting to talk and asked when you'd arrive.
15:36Carter, I'm your mom.
15:51Carter, I'm your mom.
15:55He looks at me for a long time, then nods gently.
15:58I carefully hug him, and he doesn't pull away.
16:01For the next two weeks, I don't work, focusing entirely on him.
16:05I take him to the park, where he clings to the railing the first time he rides the carousel.
16:10I accompany him to the library, discovering his love for books about stars.
16:15And I only dare to gently touch his hair after he falls asleep.
16:19He still barely talks.
16:20But occasionally, he smiles at me.
16:28He snapped and lunged at me.
16:29I dodged.
16:29He stumbled and slammed into the whole cabinet.
16:31There, I need to see my son.
16:32You can't do this.
16:33I look at him and sneer.
16:34Bruce, what you should be concerned about now isn't where my son is, but whether your son can be born
16:37safely.
16:38If you want the latter, first deal with Judith.
16:40Settle your own mess.
16:41After saying this, I push him out the door.
16:43Just seeing him now makes me feel sick.
16:45As I close the door, I see Bruce collapse to the floor, running his hands through his hair,
16:49looking utterly disheveled.
16:50Good.
16:51Let them destroy each other.
16:54Soon, Henley calls.
16:56Miss Adam, it's quite a mess.
16:57But the situation isn't as we hoped.
16:59It turns out Bruce and Judith have already divorced and are now in court.
17:02He abused his position to transfer money to me!
17:04He deceived me!
17:06She also complains about how he promised to divorce and marry her,
17:08and how his attitude changed abruptly when he learned I was pregnant.
17:11She forced me to do everything.
17:12She coerced me into swapping the babies back then.
17:13I am a victim too.
17:14The trial lasts two full days.
17:15In the end, Judith is sentenced to three years for child abductionary and business draw.
17:18Bruce, however, manages to clear himself completely,
17:20crying in court and claiming he was also a victim, manipulated by Judith for ten years.
17:23The reason sounds advise it, or perhaps Bruce's lawyer is just that good.
17:26Mrs. Adam, I'm sorry.
17:27This outcome isn't satisfactory.
17:28If you're willing, we can plan the next steps.
17:30No, that's good enough.
17:31At least my child is back.
17:32Carter is doing his homework, and I walk over to him.
17:35Carter, Mom has punished the bad people, but it might not be severe enough.
17:38Do you blame me?
17:39Mom, I know who treats me hell and who doesn't.
17:41I cover my mouth, unable to stop the tears from falling.
17:44You look really ugly when you cry.
17:46Suddenly, I laugh through my tears.
17:48These days, I've been trying desperately to make up for ten years of absence.
17:51I've transferred my company shares into his name.
17:53Though he's still young, I know what this security means.
17:56The school he's enrolled is the best local international department.
17:58The principal frowns at his previous report card.
18:00Ten years, Judith has barely managed his study, essentially leave him for himself.
18:03I forward three tutors who take turn teaching him.
18:05And Carter is very morning I bring to milk,
18:07sudden chain determined, late into night every day.
18:09Instead of waking him, I just gently cover him with a blanket.
18:11On Friday afternoon, I go to pick Carter up from school.
18:14The school gate is crowded with parents.
18:16Mom, I passed the math quiz today.
18:17As I'm about to take the paper,
18:19I catch a glimpse of a figure behind the window of the coffee shop across the streus.
18:22Sitting in the corner with dark stubble his chin,
18:24looks very wrangled, nothing like the company owner he once was.
18:26Carter follows my gaze, and I hold his hand.
18:31Let's go home.
18:32Just as we turn around, I hear hurry footsteps behind us.
18:35Bruce has crossed the street and stands in front of us.
18:39Thera, can we talk?
18:40I gesture for Carter to get in the car, then look at the man in front of me.
18:45There's nothing to talk about between us.
18:48Judith is in prison now.
18:50I've settled everything.
18:51I've cut ties with her completely.
18:55Bruce, Judith was put in prison by my lawyer.
18:58What does that have to do with you?
18:59You were the one crying the loudest as the victim in court, right?
19:01His expression turns unpleasant.
19:03I know I was wrong, Thera.
19:05Forgive me this once for the sake of the baby.
19:08Baby?
19:08His gaze falls on my stomach.
19:10Yes, our baby.
19:13Oh, that one.
19:17It was fake.
19:19The pregnancy test report was forged.
19:22I just wanted to see what you would choose.
19:25I take a step forward, letting him see my flat abdomen more clearly.
19:28It's been a few months.
19:29If I were really pregnant, it would show by now, right?
19:32His eyes linger on my stomach for a long time.
19:34It doesn't matter.
19:35Even without this child, we still have Carter, and we have ten years of history.
19:38Bruce, stop dreaming.
19:40Wake up.
19:40He seems not to hear me, suddenly remembering something and pulling out a velvet box.
19:43Look, this is the gift I bought for your 30th birthday.
19:45The company was in trouble that year, and I couldn't give it to you.
19:47This is for our seventh wedding anniversary.
19:49This one is from the year we first moved into this house, and this is...
19:52It's a small velvet membrane in the Rikulis.
19:53I bought one every year, but I never gave them to you.
19:55Now I'm giving them all to you.
19:57Can you give me another chance?
19:58I squat down and open the nearest box.
20:01Inside is a diamond necklace with an ivory-shaped pendant, my favorite flower.
20:04Once upon a time, I would have been overjoyed by such a gift.
20:07I would have worn it, walked with him to every dinner party to show off my happiness.
20:11Now, I just feel sickened, with an urge to vomit.
20:13I stand up, put the necklace back in the box.
20:14That time when I loved you the most is long gone.
20:16These things mean nothing to me now, no different than trash.
20:19He seems to have something to say, but nothing comes out soon.
20:21His shoulders slump, and he looks like he's suddenly had the wind knocked out of him.
20:23I don't look at him anymore.
20:24Turn around and walk to the car.
20:25For me, nothing else matters anymore.
20:27Three years later, in late autumn, Carter has grown much taller, now reaching my shoulders.
20:34Mom, can you make it to the parents' meeting next week?
20:37I place my hand on his shoulder.
20:39Of course it's your school event.
20:41I'd never miss that.
20:43He turns his head and smiles at me.
20:45Over these three years, Carter has been so mature that it breaks my heart.
20:48He cooks for himself when I work late, and always remembers to bring an extra umbrella
20:52on rainy days.
20:53His grades have improved from the bottom to the middle of the class, and he speaks foreign
20:56languages better than some local kids.
20:58Teachers praise his resilience, and neighbors compliment his politeness.
21:01But only I know the sacrifices behind his maturity.
21:04On a weekend evening, we make pocket pies together.
21:07Carter's pies are always overly neat, with each fold identical.
21:12Carter, you don't have to be so well-behaved in front of me.
21:15His hands pause for a moment.
21:17I squat down and look into his eyes.
21:19You can throw tantrums, act stiler, and say no like other kids.
21:22He blinks.
21:26But if I do something wrong, will you stop loving me?
21:31I pull him into a hug.
21:34Never.
21:35The best thing I've ever done in my life is get you back.
21:37He is quiet for a long time, before nodding gently.
21:43I meet Jonathan Morris at the Community Book Club.
21:45I accompany Carter to borrow books, and am drawn to a discussion on a woman's autobiography.
21:49Jonathan, in his early 40s, is the host, with a gentle yet powerful speaking style.
21:55After the event, he calls out to me at the door.
21:58Your insights were quite unique.
22:00May I have your name?
22:01That's how our conversation begins.
22:04Jonathan is a local born, but our families are from the same country.
22:07He's been divorced for five years, and his daughter lives with her mother.
22:10He's a high school history teacher, and volunteers at the community center in his spare time.
22:14On our first official date, we go to the Science Museum, with Carter joining us.
22:17Jonathan doesn't try to ingratiate himself with Carter.
22:19In the space exhibit, he naturally begins talking about the Apollo program.
22:21Any idea why astronauts bring knives into space?
22:26Carter shakes his head.
22:27Jonathan winks.
22:28To repair equipment.
22:30The most dangerous thing in space is a loose screw.
22:32Carter's laughter is relaxed.
22:34Another year passes, and Jonathan comes over for dinner one day.
22:38After the meal, while Carter does his homework, Jonathan and I sit on the balcony, sipping coffee.
22:43It's chilly, and he drapes his jacket over my shoulders.
22:46Carter has made new friends recently.
22:48I saw him playing basketball with classmates.
22:50I'm a bit surprised.
22:52Carter used to always be alone after all.
22:54He pauses and adds,
22:55Carter needs time, and so do you.
22:59That day, I tell him about what happened ten years ago.
23:02Jonathan listens quietly, and only after I finish does he gently hold my hand.
23:07You must have had a tough time going through all this alone.
23:09His words bring tears to my eyes.
23:11Turns out what I need is someone to see the weight behind my strength.
23:14Mom, if you like Jonathan, you should be with him.
23:17I'm taken aback.
23:19Why do you say that?
23:21He looks up.
23:22Because you smile when you look at him.
23:24A real smile, not a fake one.
23:26I sit down beside him.
23:29So, what do you think?
23:31Hard, but...
23:31Okay, Mom.
23:32He interrupts me.
23:34I want someone to love you the way you love me.
23:36You deserve that much.
23:37I hug him.
23:38He's grown up without my realizing it.
23:41Dating Jonathan is different from when I was 20.
23:44There's no fervor or anxiety, just stable intimacy.
23:47After dinner, we usually take walks.
23:49He always listens to me talk about work, Carter's school, or even the supermarket's special offers.
23:54He holds my hand.
23:56Life is made up of small moments, and I like being a part of yours.
24:00Life is made up of small moments, and I like being a part of yours.
24:04Life is made up of small moments, and I like being a part of your life, and I like being
24:04a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like being a part
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24:04life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and
24:04I like being a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like
24:04being a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like being a
24:04part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like being a part of
24:04your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life,
24:04and I like being a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I
24:05like being a part of your life, and I like being a part of your life, and I like
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