Dawson didn’t try to explain himself this time. He let Cecilia ask what she needed to ask, even when her questions made him uncomfortable.
“You don’t have to say that because Mom’s here.”
“Will you still come if I never win a medal?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to say that because Mom’s here.”
“I know.”
Over dinner a few days later, he asked how skating had gone. Cecilia gave a short answer.
Cecilia wasn’t ready for him to drive her anywhere. He accepted that.
Over dinner a few days later, he asked how skating had gone. Cecilia gave a short answer.
“Can we talk about something besides skating?”
“Sure,” he said. “How’s your science project?”
The change wasn’t immediate. Neither was my trust in him.
He listened while she described her experiment, including the part where her first attempt had failed. For once, he didn’t turn the conversation into a lesson about winning. He asked to see the project after they’d eaten.
