Alicia's baby was born in May. A girl. I heard about it from Megan, who heard about it from another cousin, who heard about it from my mother, who had heard about it from Alicia's mother. The chain of gossip was long, but the message was simple. Alicia was doing well. The baby was healthy. Peter was not in the picture.
I didn't know what "not in the picture" meant. I didn't ask.
In June, Peter sent me a letter. It was handwritten, which was strange, because I'd never known him to handwrite anything.
"Julia, I don't expect you to write back. I just want you to know that I've been seeing a therapist. I've been trying to understand why I did what I did. The truth is, I don't fully understand it. I think I was afraid. Afraid of the future. Afraid of committing to something real. Alicia was
