It was strange to think of her mother as a young woman, as someone who had been in love before she met Noa’s father. It was stranger still to imagine Violet pursuing a young man. She had never shared this experience with her daughter, and Noa wondered why. Perhaps it was too embarrassing; or maybe she thought Noa wouldn’t want to know. When Noa broke up with her high school boyfriend, she had gone crying to Violet. Her mother had been supportive, but she hadn’t told her about her own unrequited love. Why had she kept this part of her life a secret? Noa couldn’t explain it, and she felt disappointed, even insulted. Her mother had zealously guarded her privacy. Maybe she simply didn’t want Noa intruding upon her personal love story. And yet, through her diary, she was inviting Noa in. Why had she kept so much of her life a secret? She was close to Noa but at the same time removed. She had protected, nurtured, cared for her daughter, but she had kept her heartaches to herself. Why?Noa put down the diary.
