Member-only story
The Landing
Reunion, Balloons, Entry
Thank you to May More for writing such a beautiful story — it instantly inspired me to take the journey a little further.
That confrontation belonged to the past. The anger hadn’t vanished overnight; like cooling lava, it took years to harden and finally settle.
Eventually, we both stopped reaching back into the ashes and simply moved on — not together, but along parallel tracks we assumed would never cross again.
A year slipped by.
It was the last day of the school term, and Gemma was already bouncing with excitement about starting third grade after the summer.
On the drive home, she pressed her face against the window and pointed at the sky. “Mummy, look! A red balloon!” She laughed, clapping her hands. “It’s the one I lost last year!”
I smiled, caught up in her magic. “Maybe it is, darling.”
I pulled into the drive, gathered the mail from the box, and followed Gemma up the stairs to our apartment.
Tied to the doorknob was a single, heart-shaped red balloon. A small card swayed gently at the end of its ribbon.
Gemma gasped, running ahead. “Daddy’s here!”
