Eli sank into the sofa.
“This sucks.”
“Yes.”
Marcus could not disagree.
Camille whispered:
“Marcus, the tickets are nonrefundable.”
He turned slowly.
She immediately realized.
“That is not what I meant.”
“Good.”
He looked at his phone.
“I’m calling the airline.”
Camille took a step.
“Please, can we talk first?”
“No.”
“Marcus.”
“No one is leaving until every child knows adults are not about to disappear.”
That silenced her.
He changed the bookings.
Thousands of dollars in change fees and hotel losses accumulated.
He did not care.
At one point the airline representative said:
“Sir, are you sure you want to cancel five seats?”
Marcus looked at Maya.
She was sitting between Jordan and Eli now.
Jordan had given her one headphone.
Eli was eating one of the mango smoothies with a spoon because it had begun melting.
“Yes.”
“All five.”
The representative confirmed.
When Marcus hung up, he called his sister.
Tasha answered cheerfully.
“Why are you calling? Aren’t you packing?”
“Did Camille ask you to keep Maya?”
Silence.
Then:
“She asked if Maya could stay Saturday through Monday.”
Marcus looked at Camille.
“For what reason?”
Tasha hesitated.
“She said Maya didn’t want to fly.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“When?”
“Last week.”
Maya looked at Camille.
Tasha heard silence.
“What’s happening?”
Marcus said:
“I’ll call you back.”
“Marcus.”
“Later.”
He hung up.
Camille whispered:
“I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Correct answer.”
Maya looked at him.
“Can I go upstairs?”
“Yes.”
Jordan stood.
“Can we go too?”
Marcus looked at Maya.
She nodded.
“All right.”
The three children started toward the stairs.
Camille called:
“Jordan.”
He stopped but did not turn.
“Baby.”
Jordan looked back.
His face was hurt in a way Marcus had never seen.
“You made us think Maya didn’t want to come.”
Camille opened her mouth.
Jordan continued.
“You made it sound like she didn’t want us.”
Then he went upstairs.
That one landed.
Camille sat down.
Marcus waited until he heard bedroom doors.
Then he picked up Maya’s envelope.
“Tell me everything.”
Camille covered her face.
For almost a minute she did not speak.
Marcus did not help.
Finally she said:
“You make Maya the center of everything.”
His immediate instinct was denial.
He swallowed it.
“Give examples.”
Camille looked up.
“When Maya has a bad day, the whole house adjusts.”
“She lost her mother.”
“She was six.”
“She’s nine now.”
Marcus stared.
Camille immediately said:
“That sounded terrible.”
“It did.”
“I’m not saying she should be over Renee.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“My boys lost a father too.”
“Andre is alive.”
“That can be worse sometimes.”
Marcus stopped.
There was truth there.