“Just talk,” he said on the phone. His voice sounded too careful.
When we walked into the living room, everything was exactly the same. Mom’s coat still hung by the door. Her slippers were under the couch. The flowers from the funeral were gone, but the space they left felt permanent.
My aunt Laura was sitting next to my dad. Mom’s younger sister. She looked nervous. Hands folded. Knees pressed together. Eyes red like she’d been crying, but not recently.
The flowers from the funeral were gone.
I remember thinking, Why is she here?
“I want to be honest with you both,” Dad finally said. “I don’t want secrets.”
That should have been my first warning.
Laura reached for his hand. He let her.
“I’ve found someone,” Dad said. “And I didn’t expect it. I wasn’t looking for it.”
Robert frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I want to be honest with you both.”
Dad swallowed. “Laura and I… we’re together.”
The room tilted. I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. None came.
“You’re… together?”
