Did her mother want to say more? This type of conversation was new to both of them.

“It must have been a special friendship.” Liza trod carefully, wanting to be sensitive. “What was she like?”

“She’d had a difficult childhood. Lonely. Very strict parents. They were older, I believe, although I never met them. They didn’t visit her.”

Liza put the letters down. “How did you meet Adam?”

“At drama club. I dragged Ruth along with me. Adam was there. He was a medical student and rather full of himself I suppose, but I found him entertaining.” She paused. “I’ve never told this story to anyone before.”

Liza heard the uncertainty in her mother’s voice. “I’m glad you’re sharing it with me.”

There was a pressure in her chest, a swell of emotion that threatened to overwhelm.

“So am I. Where were we? Oh yes, Adam. He was one of those annoying people who was good at everything. He seemed to achieve what he wanted with remarkably little effort. I remember we did Much Ado About Nothing the following summer. I was Beatrice and he was Benedict. You know how I love that play. The banter. The energy. It mimicked our real-life relationship. Ruth was forever intervening and begging us to stop arguing. She was a gentle soul.”

Liza lay back on the bed, picturing it. “I didn’t know you loved drama.” She was learning so much about her mother.

“Only at college. After that I never stayed in one place long enough to commit to rehearsals.”

Because of Adam and Ruth. Because her mother had walked away from that part of her life. This had to be a tough conversation for Kathleen. “I bet you were an incredible Beatrice.”

“I believe feisty was a word that came up in more than one of the reviews.”

She could easily picture her mother in the role. “That must be where Caitlin gets her love of drama.” She diffused some of the emotion by steering the conversation away from the personal for a few minutes. Her mother wasn’t the only one who needed a breather. Liza did too. She was struggling to hold it together, but she knew it was important that she didn’t overreact or make her mother uncomfortable by revealing her own feelings. And hers were complicated, of course. For her it wasn’t only about what she was hearing, it was about how it finally felt to have her mother’s trust. “We can blame DNA for all those stage-worthy moments.”

“Perhaps. Although she seems to give her best performances away from the stage.”

They both laughed, and Liza pulled the phone a little closer. She was laughing with her mother. Laughing! And it felt good. “She does indeed. Tell me more about you and Adam.”