Page 77 of The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland
She heard a quietpop. And she was back.
“Auntie?” The raw hope on Minna’s face was terrifying in its immensity. “Did it work?”
“Hang on.” She needed to read it first, to make sure there was nothing in it that might hurt Minna.
My darling. I can’t believe you’ll get to hear me—I’ve been trying to reach you for so long—can you really hear me this way? My darling one, you must know, first, how much I love you. When I first held you, I told your mother that you were the only reason I lived—millennia of ancestors, all of them leading straight to you. The first man who held fire in his hand, the first woman to give birth and create language with the sole intention to proclaim aloudshe loved her child—all of history has led to you. I’m sorry I had to leave you so early. I’m right here, just around the corner, trying to get back to you, always.
“Oh, Minna. Come look.”
Minna hurled herself at the sofa, pressing her body against Beatrice’s side.
Then she made a gulping noise as tears ran down her face. “Mamasaidthat. That he said the earliest cavemen had evolved just so she could give birth to me. You couldn’t have known that. She didn’t tell you that.” A pause. “Did she?”
It was somehow comforting to know that Minna, too, wanted proof. “No. I didn’t know that.”
“It was him.” Minna stroked the page. “Daddy was here. Heishere.”
“I…” She didn’t know what to say next.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t. This is the best day of mylife.”
“I’m so glad.”
Minna jolted, as if she’d remembered something. “You can’t tell Mom, though.”
“Wait. What?” Not that Beatrice had been planning to run straight to Cordelia to tell all, but Minna not wanting her to made her feel like she probably should.
“Or Gran.”
“But this is a good thing, right? Exactly what you wanted. Don’t they deserve to know?”
With horror in her voice, Minna said, “No.”
“Tell me why not, then.” And it would have to be areallygood reason.
“It’s not a big deal.”
Oh, yeah, there was more here. “That’s what people say when thingsarea very big deal.”
“I just… I don’t know if you want to hear this.”
Beatrice turned to face her more directly. “Try me.”
“Mom’s cool. You know? You know. But she’s not alwaysthatcool.”
“Am I going to have to pull this out of you splinter by splinter?”
“Sorry. Okay, when I came out as trans to Mom, she didn’t get it. She didn’t believe it.”
“Oh.”
“I knew Gran would be a problem, because that’s, like, printed on the box she comes in, you know? Gran has opinions, and she doesn’t care who knows. But Mom—it was so bad. So hard. She’d always talked this big talk, like love and tolerance for all. She made rainbow yarn displays during Pride Month, that kind of thing. That was before I came out, though. When it came to me, and who I was, she just kind of refused to see me for a long time.” A deep sigh. “A really long time.”
Well, damn. Beatrice would have bet good money that Cordelia had been the kind of mother who’d said, “Really? How wonderful. As if I couldn’t love you more,” before gathering Minna to her chest and orderingProtect Trans KidsT-shirts for the whole family. Beatrice had mentioned Iris to Cordelia a few times, calling her “my ex.” Had Cordelia needed to guard her expression when she’d learned her twin was bi?
That thought hurt.
“How long did it take for her to come around?”
