Chapter 5
Dad did not tell me every number.
He said the amount mattered, but I should not have to spend my evenings reading bank statements.
I heard enough to know it was serious.
Claire said the money paid for things the whole family used. The statements showed payments for Mason’s computer, Lily’s dance fees, and a large shopping trip.
Dad had already paid money into the household account for those same expenses.
Aunt June sat with him at her kitchen table while they made a list.
I did homework upstairs, but their voices carried.
“You trusted her,” June said.
“I trusted her with everything.”
“And now you’re checking.”
“I keep thinking about him saying he was fine.”
I put down my pencil.
Dad sounded like he had been hurt too.
I had never wanted that.
At dinner, I told him he did not have to pay everything back at once.
He looked at me.
“What?”
“My college money. I can work when I’m older.”
He set down his fork.
“Ethan, you do not need to solve this.”
“I just don’t want you working more.”
“I appreciate that. But the adults are going to deal with the money.”
June nodded firmly.
“And you are going to finish those potatoes.”
For once, being told to eat made me feel cared for.
Two days later, Claire asked to meet Dad.
He agreed to see her at a café. June picked me up from school while he went.
When he returned, he looked tired.
“Did she apologize?” I asked.
“She said she regrets how the party ended.”
“That isn’t the same.”
“No.”
“Did she say I made it worse?”
Dad hesitated.
I already knew.
“She said you were sensitive after losing your mom,” he answered.
I looked down.
“I am sensitive about Mom.”
“You’re allowed to be. That doesn’t explain what happened to your cake.”
He sat beside me.
“Claire and I are separating.”
The words made the room feel strange.
I had wanted things to change. Now they had.
“Because of me?”
“Because of decisions Claire made and decisions I failed to notice. You told me the truth. That did not cause those decisions.”
“Where will Lily and Mason live?”
“With Dana for now. Their dad will be part of those arrangements.”
Their father, Aaron, lived across town. He picked them up every other weekend. I had always thought he seemed uncomfortable in our house.
Dad called him before the next visit. I did not hear their conversation.
That Saturday, Aaron brought Lily and Mason to June’s garden.
Dad had explained it was a visit for the children. Claire was not coming.
Lily ran to me and hugged me so hard I stepped backward.
“You look okay,” she said.
“I am.”
Mason stood behind her with his hands in his hoodie pocket.
Aaron thanked Dad for arranging it. They stayed nearby while we sat at the picnic table.
Lily asked whether I wanted to play cards.
Mason said he had something first.
He took out my old baseball glove.
It was the one Mom bought when Dad first taught me to throw.
I thought I lost it.
“Mason?”
“I took it last summer. Mom said you didn’t use it anymore.”
“You knew I did.”
He nodded.
“Yeah.”
I took it from him.
There was a small split near the thumb, but the leather still smelled familiar.
“What else?” I asked.
He looked startled.
“What?”
“What else did you take?”
He swallowed.
“My calculator is yours. And the game controller.”
“Anything else?”
“I can check.”
“Check.”
Lily looked between us.
Mason did not argue.
“I will.”
We played cards afterward, but I did not let him pretend the glove had fixed everything.
When they left, Aaron stopped beside me.
“Thanks for being honest with them,” he said.
I did not know what to say.
That night, Dad brought me back to our house for a short visit.
Claire had moved some clothes out. The living room looked less crowded.
Mom’s photograph sat on the hall table.
Dad had placed the wooden box beneath it.
I stared.
“You put her back.”
“She belongs in this house.”
He showed me a new lock on my bedroom door.
“It opens from the inside without a key,” he said. “It’s for privacy. You never need to lock it if you don’t want to.”
I touched the handle.
Claire always said children should not need privacy unless they were hiding something.
Dad watched me.
“I also moved your headphones back to your desk.”
I went into my room.
The blue birthday plate was gone.
On the desk, beside the headphones, lay a photograph from the party.
I was blowing out the candles.
May you like
My eyes were closed.
For the first time, I wondered whether the wish I made had already started coming true.
