Out of the past, the truth surfaced

theinsiprationroom.com

This is a guest post from my brother Russ, which contains a letter sent by him to the Readers Digest in response to an article he read. Embarrassing to admit, but I was the older brother he was referring to and should have known better!

Dear Readers Digest,
        I recently read "The 39-Year-Old Apology" in your October issue, and was reminded of a family confession, and resulting story, that may interest your readers.
        In the late 1950's, my older brother Dan, then age 6 or 7, stole a $20 bill from the
top of our refrigerator. He and I had a grand time buying and eating a cake from a neighborhood store using the pilfered money.
        Forty-some years later I brought up this episode of youthful thievery to my parents at a family gathering, not knowing how affected my mother had been for all those years.
        It turned out that my mother had accused a neighborhood friend of the theft, and their relationship had abruptly ended. This, after they both had had a baby about five years earlier, on the same day, in the same hospital, and recovered in the same room; eventually becoming close neighbors. (strange but true)
        Upon this confession by her children in the 1990's, my mother knew that an apology was long overdue, but had no way to attempt contact until a few years later when she bought a computer and discovered the internet. She eventually found an address for her friend's son Steve, and reached out.     
        Unfortunately, it was too late for an apology. His parents were deceased. But Steve chose to comfort my mom by sending her five beautiful e-mail letters within three weeks, but then stopped contact for no apparent reason. My mother assumed he no longer wanted to stay in touch.
        Weeks later, Steve's sister Julie then informed my mother that Steve had passed away from a massive stroke at the age of forty-one.
        Eventually my mother wrote her own story about this called "Out of the Past, The Truth Surfaced", and included it in her own published book "Life's Memories" available at www.LULU.com by Agnes (Konitzer) Bridger Bast.