Richard noticed none of it.
He was busy being admired by everyone else.
Then the school announced its annual Parent of the Year award.
“Do teachers ever talk to the kids about parents?”
Richard reacted differently.
He started asking strange questions.
“Do teachers ever talk to the kids about parents?” he asked one night.
I looked up from folding towels. “Sometimes, I guess. Why?”
He shrugged. “Just curious.”
He would ask Lily about school while glancing at his phone.
A week later, he began showing up for dinner more often.
Not helping, exactly.
Showing up.
He would ask Lily about school while glancing at his phone, then tell Sam, “Remember our lake trip last summer? Great weekend.”
Sam usually said yes, confused.
Richard opened it before I got home.
Then an envelope arrived from the school.
Richard opened it before I got home. He left it on the counter, turned face down beneath his keys.
