I was glad she’d said it.
But I also knew that changing a lifelong habit would take more than one conversation.
We continued supervising visits for a while.
Richard didn’t argue about it.
One Saturday afternoon, he helped the twins build a model airplane at our kitchen table.
When they finished, Ethan ran to his room and returned with two chocolate bars from his Halloween stash.
He offered one to Richard.
“Here, Grandpa. You can have this.”
Richard looked at the chocolate, then at me.
“Are you sure?” he asked Ethan.
Ethan nodded.
“Yeah. I have another one.”
Richard accepted it.
“Thank you. That’s very generous.”
Owen grinned.
“You didn’t even have to walk anywhere.”
Everyone laughed, including Richard.
But he didn’t unwrap the chocolate immediately.
He placed it beside his chair and watched the boys admire their airplane.
Later, when they went outside to show Michael, Richard stayed behind to help me clear the table.
