He had made sure the hospital knew I was his emergency contact.
He had made sure the envelope reached me.
He had made sure an attorney was there.
And he had made sure I understood one restriction before I opened anything.
Natalie was not to be involved yet.
That instruction hurt in a way I was not prepared for.
Until then, the conflict between my father and my wife could still be explained as personality, money, pride, or old resentment.
Natalie thought Dad depended on me too much.
I thought she judged him without recognizing what he had sacrificed for us.
Those were painful differences, but they were ordinary enough to understand.
A secret envelope tied to adoption files was different.
Dad was not merely frustrated with her.
He believed secrecy was necessary.
