CHAPTER 13: 13. Parker’s Letter
A handwritten letter arrived three days later, addressed to both twins through my attorney. Parker wrote that he had spent most of his childhood believing he was an only child. He apologized for his father’s behavior at registration, though he made clear he understood it was not his apology to make. He described a science-fiction book he loved and asked Jonah what he had built for the competition. He asked Miles whether mathematics was fun or just something people said was fun after winning. The boys read it at the kitchen table. Miles smiled first. “He sounds normal.” Jonah laughed. “That’s a low bar.” They wrote back about their school, the robot Jonah had accidentally driven into a wall, and Miles’s habit of solving puzzles during commercials. They did not mention Grant. I reviewed the letter for identifying details before sending it through Priya. It felt strange to create a narrow bridge between boys who shared a father but had lived separate histories. Still, I believed Parker deserved a chance to know them without being made responsible for Grant’s choices. A week later, another letter came. Parker had drawn a tiny robot crashing into a wall. Jonah taped it above his desk.
