“You can forgive someone 490 times, easily,” said mother. “It doesn’t mean you have to be near them when you do. It doesn’t mean you have to put up with their nonsense or bad behaviour. You can forgive them from the other room. Go do your own thing, have your own fun, play with your own friends and live your own life, yes. But forgive. Always forgive. It’s a good feeling and ensures that when you need it you too will be forgiven.”
“So I should forgive him seven times seventy times?” said Jessica. “And if it’s one more than that I can get him back?”
“If it’s one more than that you get to forgive him yet again, and he will do the same. The world is more beautiful that way. It’s the math of forgiveness. It’s precise and perfect.”