Rage.
I turned toward Grant.
“You watched me fall apart.”
He stayed silent.
“You let me believe my own son abandoned me.”
“I thought it was kinder.”
“Kinder?”
I almost laughed.
“There is nothing kind about convincing a child his mother is better off without him.”
That was when Grant finally lost his composure.
“I was tired!”
His voice filled the room.
“I was tired of the arguments.”
He gestured toward Eli.
“I was tired of neighbors talking.”
There it was.
“I was tired of wondering what people thought when they saw him.”
Eli spoke quietly.
“There it is.”
Grant ignored him.
“I wanted a normal family.”
I shook my head.
“You had one.”
Grant frowned.
“You just refused to accept it.”
The Suitcase
I walked toward the hallway closet.
Grant watched me.
“What are you doing?”
I opened the door.
Pulled out the large suitcase we had once used for family vacations.
