Dave, his father, looked like he had taken a picture from a Scandinavian travel catalog. Blonde hair, pale skin, blue eyes.
Genetics don't always follow predictable patterns. Anyone who has spent five minutes reading about inheritance understands that.
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Patricia understood it too. She simply chose to act as if she didn't.
The comments that never stopped
At family dinners, Patricia had a talent for making her observations sound like casual conversations.
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She would lean forward just enough for the whole table to hear and say that Sam just didn't look like Dave, did he?
Or she would tilt her head and wonder aloud if anyone was completely sure about the timeline.
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The first few times I laughed it off.
I did it for Dave. He loved his parents deeply, especially his father Robert, who was a quiet and genuinely kind man who stayed away from Patricia's toys as much as he could.
But the comments didn't stop. They never gave up, not for a single gathering.
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As the years passed, Patricia found a way to incorporate her doubts into every occasion. Every barbecue. Every Christmas. Every Sunday dinner.
I swallowed my frustration every time and said nothing.
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Family-themed jewelry
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Until circumstances changed, and suddenly the stakes became much higher than hurt feelings.
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When everything got serious
Robert received a terminal diagnosis.
The news landed on the family like a burden that wouldn't lift.
Gatherings that had once centered around casual conversation changed. The talk revolved around doctors, treatment plans, and time. Everyone moved a little more cautiously around each other.
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