The Apartment by Debbie Macomber Page A

know, this mothering business isn’t as easy as it looks.”
    â€œI’m sure you’re right. I don’t remember my own mother, so I feel at a loss when it comes to advising Hilary about hers.”
    His companion relaxed. “Being a mother means far more than changing a few diapers and showing up for parent-teacher conferences. In fact, it’s downright tricky business. We love them, guide them, give them our hearts and then are supposed to set them free.”
    â€œI never thought of it in those terms,” Sean said.
    The woman smiled softly and sighed.
    He didn’t entirely understand why he was talking so freely with this stranger, possibly because this issue was weighing so heavily on his own shoulders.
    â€œThere’s a rhythm to being a mother…I know that sounds odd, but it’s true,” she continued, sounding faintly emotional. “It’s the part of parenting I’ve found the most trying. It fills me with self-doubts and worries, which I know are mostly unfounded, it’s just that I can’t keep from fretting about her. I know she hates that and I can’t say that I blame her.” Just the way the woman exhaled told Sean she felt as uncomfortable sharing with him as he had with her.
    â€œA rhythm?” Sean repeated.
    â€œYes…I hope you don’t mind my talking so freely.”
    â€œI confided in you, too,” Sean admitted, wondering at this bond he’d formed with a virtual stranger.
    â€œI appreciate that because it’s helped me define my feelings. Strange how you can meet someone you’ve never known before and learn so much about yourself.”
    Sean nodded, experiencing the same feeling himself.
    â€œIt doesn’t help matters that she’s an only child. I fear I, too, hold on to her tighter than most mothers, because she’s all I have. It was hard for me when she first learned to ride a bicycle. I was afraid she was going to fall and hurt herself, but that was only the beginning.
    â€œThen she went off to college, and I was dreadfully lonely without her. Her freshman year she fell in love and was so badly hurt that she wanted to drop out of school. I wouldn’t allow that, although I badly wanted to be there to protect her.”
    â€œYou did the right thing.”
    She smiled softly. “It wasn’t easy, any more than it was just recently.”
    â€œRecently?”
    â€œYes, she’s fallen in love for a second time. I believe she intends to marry this young man. I’m not certain he realizes it yet, but then, he doesn’t know how stubborn my daughter can be.”
    â€œYou don’t approve of him?”
    â€œShe’s young, but then, I’d been married a year at the same age and was pregnant with her. I…don’t really know this man she’s chosen. We’ve only just met, but from what I’ve seen, I think he’ll make her a good husband. But you realize what that means, don’t you? It means I’ll have to let go of her all over again.”
    â€œShe’ll always be your daughter.”
    â€œYes, I realize that. It’s just another step in this process, this ebb and flow of life. The holding on, the letting go. You know, the holding-on portion is the easy part, it’s the letting go that’s so damned difficult.”
    Just then the thick curtain parted, and the audience applauded. Sean glanced over the program, the very program that had initiated this intense conversation with a stranger. They had each shared a deep part of themselves.
    â€œThank you,” Sean said, holding the other woman’s eyes.
    â€œNo,” she said, her dark eyes intense. “Thank you. ”
    The music started after the round of applause. Sean assumed he’d be bored stiff. He’d never attended anything like a symphony performance and he wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for Hilary.
    He had to admit halfway through the