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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
PART 2<\/p>\n
The stranger stopped a few feet away from me.<\/p>\n
For one long moment, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
He was older than my father by several years, though there was something familiar in the shape of his face\u2014the same strong jaw, the same deep-set eyes, the same slight crease between his eyebrows. He wore a gray jacket despite the heat, and one hand gripped the folder against his side as if it contained something fragile.<\/p>\n
His gaze moved from me to the paper in my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cYou look just like him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had heard adults say that before. Teachers had told me I had my father\u2019s smile. Neighbors had said my eyes were exactly like his. But coming from this man, it felt different.<\/p>\n
Maybe because he was the first person who had ever looked at me as if seeing my father in my face hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you Gabriel?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m your uncle.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word felt strange. I had never had an uncle before, at least not one I remembered. My father had rarely spoken about his family. When I was younger, I assumed that meant they lived far away. Later, I began to suspect there had been some disagreement between them.<\/p>\n
I had never imagined that a part of my father\u2019s life had been standing somewhere beyond our house, waiting for me to find it.<\/p>\n
Gabriel glanced toward the small white house behind me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Rosa here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s inside,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He gave a short nod, but before he could move, Rosa opened the front door.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must be Gabriel,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am. And you must be Rosa.\u201d His expression softened. \u201cThank you for taking care of Matthew.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa looked toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needed someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s eyes lowered for a moment. \u201cYes. He did.\u201d<\/p>\n
The three of us went inside. Rosa had made coffee, although I doubted any of us wanted it. She placed a glass of lemonade in front of me and then sat across from Gabriel at the kitchen table. I remained standing, my fingers wrapped around the paper with his number on it.<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t sure whether I was afraid of Gabriel or afraid of what he might tell me.<\/p>\n
He set the folder on the table but didn\u2019t open it immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore we discuss your father\u2019s documents,\u201d he said, \u201cI want you to understand something. You are not being sent away again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words were simple, but they reached somewhere inside me that I had been trying not to look at.<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might change your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened, not with anger, but with regret.<\/p>\n
\u201cI might make mistakes. I might not know what you need. But I am not going to leave you on the side of a road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa leaned forward and placed her hand over mine.<\/p>\n
Gabriel continued, \u201cYour father asked me to help you if anything happened to him. He should have told you about me long before now. I\u2019m sorry he didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked down at the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything seems complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
His answer was so calm that it made my chest ache.<\/p>\n
I sat beside Rosa. Gabriel opened the folder and removed several packets of paper, each marked with a colored tab. There were official-looking forms, copies of bank statements, and a thick document bearing a seal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a certified copy of your father\u2019s last will,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I looked at the papers without understanding most of the words.<\/p>\n
\u201cVeronica said the whole estate belonged to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel turned the first page toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father changed his will six months before he died. He left Veronica the right to remain in the house for as long as she needed, along with a monthly income. But the house, the company, his investments, and the majority of his assets were placed in a trust for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Rosa.<\/p>\n
She was reading over Gabriel\u2019s shoulder, her expression growing more serious with every line.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were ten years old. He had hoped to live long enough to explain everything when you were older.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the signature at the bottom of the page.<\/p>\n
Alexander Hale.<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
The handwriting was unmistakable. I had seen it on permission slips, birthday cards, and notes he left in my lunch bag. The letters leaned slightly to the right, as if they were always hurrying toward the next word.<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes this mean I own everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel shook his head gently.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means your father wanted to protect you. The trust is managed by adults until you reach the age specified in the documents. That does not mean you are expected to run a company or make decisions about property. It means no one can simply take what he left for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Veronica take it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot legally.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word legally did not comfort me as much as Gabriel seemed to hope it would.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she had a will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may have found an older one. Or she may have misunderstood the documents. Your father\u2019s final will was signed in the presence of witnesses and notarized. I have the original stored safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
See more on the next page<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a secure place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I see it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
He slid another document across the table.<\/p>\n
I read the first few lines, but the words blurred together. Rosa read slowly beside me, explaining phrases I didn\u2019t understand. I learned that my father had named Gabriel trustee and temporary guardian. He had also written instructions about my schooling, medical care, and where I should live.<\/p>\n
My eyes stopped on one line.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018The child should be raised in a home where he is known, loved, and treated as family.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
I read it again.<\/p>\n
Then once more.<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father wrote that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t raise me like that?\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa glanced at me, but she didn\u2019t interrupt.<\/p>\n
Gabriel folded his hands on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father loved you very much. But loving someone and protecting them well are not always the same thing. He made choices he believed were necessary. Some of those choices hurt you. I won\u2019t pretend otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of the way Dad had worked late into the evenings, the way he sometimes stopped talking when Veronica entered a room, the way he had promised me that things would be different after his illness improved.<\/p>\n
He had known he was dying.<\/p>\n
Maybe he had known more than he told me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he think Veronica would do?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Gabriel was silent for several seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was worried about the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father\u2019s business had been struggling for the past year. Not publicly. He managed to keep the problems contained. But there were debts, delayed payments, and several contracts that had not worked out. Veronica knew some of this, though I don\u2019t know how much she understood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen maybe she needs the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked at me carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat may be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the first thing he said about Veronica that did not sound like a legal argument.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me she wasn\u2019t going to waste eight years raising another woman\u2019s child.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said everything belonged to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe may have believed that was the only way to protect herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe left me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you making excuses for her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not.\u201d His voice remained quiet. \u201cI\u2019m trying to separate what she did from why she did it. Both matter, but they are not the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t understand that then. All I knew was that Veronica had driven away and left me alone. Whether she had been frightened, angry, or desperate did not change what happened.<\/p>\n
Rosa gently squeezed my shoulder.<\/p>\n
Gabriel closed the folder halfway.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is another reason I came in person. Your father left a letter for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart began beating faster.<\/p>\n
\u201cA letter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. He asked me to give it to you when you were safe and when I could be there to answer your questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t he give it to me himself?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he was afraid he wouldn\u2019t have time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel reached into the folder and pulled out a cream-colored envelope.<\/p>\n
My name was written across the front.<\/p>\n
Matthew.<\/p>\n
The letters were my father\u2019s.<\/p>\n
I took the envelope but didn\u2019t open it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it about Veronica?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it about you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it explain why he never told me you existed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked away.<\/p>\n
The room seemed to grow still.<\/p>\n
Rosa sat back in her chair. She had probably realized before I did that this was more than a family explanation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you were his brother,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t I know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel rested his palms on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father and I had a falling-out many years ago. It began over money and ended over something more important. We stopped speaking for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father started his logistics company with money borrowed from our father. When the business grew, he repaid every cent. But our father died before the final disagreement was settled, and both of us believed the other had acted dishonestly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel lowered his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer surprised me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why didn\u2019t you talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause pride is very good at disguising itself as principle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa sighed softly.<\/p>\n
Gabriel continued, \u201cBy the time either of us was ready to apologize, your father had married Veronica. Then your mother died. Your father said he needed distance while you adjusted. I accepted that explanation because I was angry and because it was easier than admitting I missed him.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew you existed. I saw you once when you were a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room seemed to tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. I didn\u2019t go inside. Your father saw me in the parking lot and asked me to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said your mother was recovering and didn\u2019t need more tension around her. I thought he was blaming me for everything that had happened between us. I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you try again?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce. He returned my letter unopened.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied his face. There was no anger in it anymore, only an old sadness that had settled so deeply it looked almost like part of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did Dad call you now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t call me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how did you know he was sick?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words sat between us.<\/p>\n
Gabriel touched the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father sent me a letter three weeks before he died. It arrived the day after his funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll let you read his letter first.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t want to wait, but my hands had begun trembling. I opened the envelope carefully and unfolded the paper inside.<\/p>\n
My dear Matthew,<\/p>\n
If you are reading this, then I was not given the time I hoped for.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
The first sentence was enough to make my vision blur.<\/p>\n
Rosa placed a tissue near my hand, but I continued.<\/p>\n
I know there will be questions I should have answered long ago. Some will be about Veronica. Some will be about my family. Most will be about the choices I made while trying to keep you safe.<\/p>\n
I wish I could tell you that I made those choices perfectly. I did not.<\/p>\n
I tried to be a good father, but I confused providing for you with being present for you. I believed that if you had a secure home, good clothes, and every opportunity, then you would not notice how often I was afraid.<\/p>\n
You noticed.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry.<\/p>\n
I stopped reading and pressed my lips together.<\/p>\n
My father had always apologized in practical ways. He would replace a broken toy, fix my bicycle, or take me for ice cream after missing a school event. He rarely said the words themselves.<\/p>\n
Now they covered the page.<\/p>\n
I read on.<\/p>\n
There are things I cannot explain fully in this letter because they involve other people\u2019s private struggles. But I want you to know this: if Veronica tells you that I left everything to her, she is mistaken. I made provisions for her because I did not want her to be abandoned. I also made provisions for you because you are my son, and because your future must not depend on the goodwill of anyone who is frightened.<\/p>\n
My hands went cold.<\/p>\n
Your uncle Gabriel has agreed to help. I know you do not know him, and I regret that. He is stubborn, difficult, and sometimes impossible to reason with. He is also loyal, honest, and kinder than he allows people to see.<\/p>\n
For years, I believed I had lost my brother. The truth is that I was the one who kept walking away.<\/p>\n
I hope you will give him the chance I did not.<\/p>\n
The rest of the page was shorter.<\/p>\n
Matthew, your mother loved you deeply. She wanted you to know that you were never the cause of any disagreement between the adults in your life. If I failed to tell you that often enough, then I failed you.<\/p>\n
Be patient with yourself.<\/p>\n
You are not what happened to you.<\/p>\n
You are what you choose to become after it.<\/p>\n
Love,<\/p>\n
Dad<\/p>\n
I lowered the letter.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, I could hear only the hum of the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
Gabriel did not reach for me or tell me not to cry. He simply remained where he was, giving me room to feel whatever I felt.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what to do,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to know today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I have to go with you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came so quickly that I looked up.<\/p>\n
Gabriel met my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can stay with Rosa while we sort out the legal arrangements. Or you can come to my home. Or we can find another arrangement that makes you comfortable. Your father asked me to help you. He did not ask me to force you into a life with a stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can stay here for now,\u201d she said. \u201cMy sister is coming next week, but we have room. We\u2019ll work with the proper people and make sure everything is done correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked grateful.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already contacted a family attorney and the county child services office. They will verify the documents and make sure Matthew\u2019s care is handled legally. There will be no secret arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n
The word secret made me think of Veronica.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat depends on what she does next. She may have to leave the house eventually, but the will gives her time and financial support. If she cooperates, she will not be left without help.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at my father\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Dad help her after she did that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knew her better than you or I did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to know her better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is your choice.\u201d<\/p>\n
I expected Gabriel to tell me that forgiveness was important, or that she had made a mistake, or that I should try to understand her. Instead, he left the decision where it belonged\u2014with me.<\/p>\n
That was the first moment I began to trust him.<\/p>\n
Not completely.<\/p>\n
But enough to ask, \u201cWhere do you live?\u201d<\/p>\n
He almost smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout two hours from here. Outside Macon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have a family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a daughter. Her name is Elise. She\u2019s twenty-four and studying nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows you exist. She has been asking questions since I called her from the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat you are her cousin, that you\u2019ve had a difficult week, and that she should not overwhelm you with enthusiasm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas that advice for her or for you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite myself, I smiled.<\/p>\n
It felt disloyal at first, as if smiling meant I had already forgotten my father. But Gabriel noticed and smiled too.<\/p>\n
Then his expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The warmth in the room receded.<\/p>\n
He opened the folder again and removed a small white envelope. Unlike the first, this one had no name on it. Only a date.<\/p>\n
Three weeks before Alexander\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was enclosed with the letter your father sent me. He gave me instructions not to open it unless you were safely in my care.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen open it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s fingers remained on the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father was very specific. He wanted you to be present when it was opened, but he also wanted an attorney nearby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he need an attorney?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the contents may affect the trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rosa\u2019s face grew concerned.<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel, what exactly did Alexander send you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her, then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. I never opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the envelope.<\/p>\n
The date was written in my father\u2019s handwriting. The paper was slightly creased, as if it had been carried from one place to another before being stored away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it dangerous?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why does it feel dangerous?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel exhaled slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause your father was afraid of what would happen if the wrong person found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer made my stomach tighten.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Veronica know about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said you didn\u2019t know he was sick. How did he send it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough a courier. He left it with instructions that it be delivered only to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could be inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly a business document. A property record. A personal letter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr something that explains why he changed the will so suddenly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered the first line of my father\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
If you are reading this, then I was not given the time I hoped for.<\/p>\n
I had assumed he meant the illness. Now I wondered if he had been waiting for something else.<\/p>\n
Gabriel placed the envelope in front of me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can call the attorney and have her come here tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to open it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m tired of adults deciding what I\u2019m allowed to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words came out sharper than I intended. Rosa reached for my hand, but I didn\u2019t look away from Gabriel.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father wrote it for me. If there\u2019s something inside about me, I want to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel studied me for a long moment. Then he nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took a small letter opener from the folder. The blade glinted briefly in the sunlight.<\/p>\n
Before he touched the envelope, a vehicle slowed outside the house.<\/p>\n
All three of us turned toward the window.<\/p>\n
A dark sedan had stopped near the mailbox.<\/p>\n
I recognized it immediately.<\/p>\n
Veronica stepped out.<\/p>\n
She was wearing the same black dress from the funeral, though she had removed her jacket. Her face looked pale and tired, and she held a leather handbag against her chest.<\/p>\n
Gabriel stood.<\/p>\n
Rosa moved closer to me.<\/p>\n
Veronica looked through the window at the four of us, her eyes settling on the unopened envelope.<\/p>\n
For the first time since she had abandoned me, I saw something besides coldness in her expression.<\/p>\n
Fear.<\/p>\n
She came to the front door and knocked once.<\/p>\n
No one moved.<\/p>\n
Then she knocked again.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatthew,\u201d she called through the glass. \u201cPlease let me explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s hand remained over the envelope.<\/p>\n
Veronica looked directly at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou must not open that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The room fell silent.<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know what it is?\u201d<\/p>\n
Veronica\u2019s lips parted, but no answer came.<\/p>\n
I stood slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me, and the fear in her face deepened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father lied to you,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Gabriel stepped toward the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Veronica\u2019s eyes returned to the envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the floor disappear beneath me.<\/p>\n
My father\u2019s letter had said that my mother loved me. It had said I was never the cause of the adults\u2019 disagreements. It had said nothing about a lie.<\/p>\n
Veronica lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlexander told you she died when you were five.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could barely breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did die.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veronica shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Matthew. She disappeared.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind me, Gabriel went completely still.<\/p>\n
Veronica placed one hand against the glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd your father knew exactly where she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
See more on the next page<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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