Clare opened her mouth.
No sound came.
Mia looked concerned.
“She really okay?”
Clare laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
She wiped her face.
“I’m sorry.”
Mia shrugged.
“Dad cries sometimes too.”
Luke looked at her.
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Mia dropped her backpack.
Then noticed the photograph in Clare’s hand.
“That’s Mom.”
Clare looked down.
“Yes.”
Mia walked closer.
“Where’d you get that?”
Clare looked toward Luke.
He gave a small nod.
Clare crouched so she was closer to Mia’s height.
“Your mom left it for me.”
Mia frowned.
“You knew Mom?”
Clare’s voice shook.
“I think…”
She paused.
“I think I should have.”
Mia looked at Luke again.
Children understand when adults are speaking around something.
“What happened?”
Luke came closer.
“We learned something important.”
“What?”
He knelt.
“You remember how Mom was always looking for people in our family tree?”
Mia nodded.
“She found someone.”
“Who?”
Luke looked toward Clare.
Clare looked terrified.
Luke answered gently.
“She found a sister.”
Mia’s eyes widened.
“Mom had a sister?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Clare whispered:
“Me.”
Mia stared.
Luke watched her processing.
Then she pointed.
“You?”
Clare nodded.
“That means…”
Mia looked at Luke.
“What does that make her?”
Luke smiled despite everything.
“Your aunt.”
Mia looked back toward Clare.
Then said the sentence nobody expected.
“Do you like pancakes?”
Clare blinked.
“What?”
“Aunt Jenny likes pancakes.”
Luke covered his mouth.
Clare stared.
Then laughed.
Not a controlled CEO laugh.
Not polite.
A genuine laugh through tears.
“Yes.”
“I like pancakes.”
Mia nodded.
“Okay.”
Apparently that settled something.
Children were sometimes better at impossible truths because they did not yet know all the ways adults could complicate them.
Clare stood.
Luke watched her.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She frowned.
“Good?”
“Means you’re responding normally.”
“How would you know?”
“I don’t.”
She laughed again.
Mia picked up her backpack.
“Can Clare eat dinner?”
Luke looked toward Clare.
She immediately shook her head.
“No.”
Too fast.
Mia looked disappointed.
Clare corrected herself.
“I mean, not tonight.”
“Why?”
“I have to…”
She stopped.
The board meeting.
Columbus.