She was quiet.
Then she said, “You’re right. I should have said something last night.”
I thanked her.
Before ending the call, I made our decision clear.
“For now, we’d prefer visits with us present. We can reconsider outings alone when we’re confident the boys won’t be made to feel guilty again.”
Carol sounded disappointed, but she agreed.
That evening, Richard arrived with a bag of chocolates.
He stood awkwardly in our living room while Ethan and Owen sat together on the couch.
“I brought the candy I owed you,” he said.
Ethan accepted the bag.
“Thank you.”
Richard shifted his weight.
“Your dad tells me I upset you on Halloween.”
Neither boy answered.
“I didn’t mean to. I thought we were having a little fun.”
I could see Michael preparing to speak, but I touched his arm.
“Richard,” I said, “could you ask the boys how they felt?”
He looked at me, surprised.
