Chapter 5
The Debt
The author returns to the kitchen the next morning and hears the full story of the priest's lie. Her mother reveals that the grandmother never thanked the priest and carried the guilt until her death. The author decides to find the priest's descendants to repay the debt, but her mother reveals the priest died alone and childless. The chapter ends with the author writing a letter that will never be sent, and deciding to tell the story publicly.
The kitchen smelled different the next morning. Less like tension, more like coffee and the faint sweetness of honey cake my mother had baked overnight. She was already at the table, hands wrapped around a mug, staring at nothing.
I poured myself coffee and sat across from her. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The clock ticked. A bird sang outside the window. The world carried on, indifferent to the weight in that room.
Then she started talking.
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