A family secret
When someone dies, their secrets can become mysteries. Without the key of memory – even an unreliable and distorting memory – some doors will never be opened, and no one will know for sure what lies behind them.
There is a secret in my family like this. A secret that has become a mystery. A sad mystery that still gnaws at me from time to time, but which will never be fully explained.
This is different from the typical family secret, a secret known within the family – something potentially shameful – but never discussed with those on the outside. Most families have those – the secret affairs, questions of paternity, criminal records, closet homosexuality in
