My sister nodded. “Li came to me about six months ago. Said she needed help with something important. At first, I thought it was just school stuff, but then she showed me her plan. She used her birthday money and what she made babysitting Mrs. Greene’s kid downstairs. I helped cover the cost of the unit.”
I looked around again, overwhelmed.
“She made me promise not to tell you,” Judy said. “She said you weren’t ready yet.”
I let out a shaky breath. “She was right.”
Judy nodded toward the last box.
“There’s one more thing.”
“She said you weren’t ready yet.”
I walked over slowly.
The final box sat slightly apart from the others.
Inside was a single envelope: “LAST ONE.”
A small video drive slipped into my palm when I opened it.
“That’s it?” I asked.
“That’s the most important one,” Judy said. “I brought my laptop.”
Of course, she had.
***
Judy opened her laptop while I held the drive tightly as we sat in her car.
“You ready?” she asked.
I wasn’t, but I nodded.
“That’s the most important one.”
The video loaded, and then Lily appeared.
She was sitting on her bed, looking straight at the camera.
My breath caught.
“Hi Mommy…”
