“She gets mad when I talk about her too.”
His voice trembled.
“Sometimes I pretend I don't remember Mom because I don't want Nicole to yell.”
Richard closed his eyes.
For a moment, he felt as though something inside his chest had broken beyond repair.
He opened them again.
“Buddy.”
Ethan looked toward him.
“You never have to pretend you don't remember your mother.”
The boy's eyes filled.
Richard continued.
“You can talk about her whenever you want. You can ask me questions. You can miss her.”
He swallowed.
“And if I ever make you feel like you can't, I want you to tell me.”
Ethan stared.
Then whispered, “Will you listen?”
Richard could barely answer.
He nodded.
“Yes.”
The boy studied him.
Then slowly reached for his hand.
Richard held it.
After a moment, Ethan asked, “Was Mom nice?”
Richard stared.
The question seemed almost impossible.
“Nice?”
Ethan nodded.
“I remember her singing.”
Richard smiled through tears.
“She did that a lot.”
“Was she funny?”
Richard gave a quiet laugh.
“Very.”
He looked toward the photograph on Maya's nightstand.
“Once she put a plastic spider inside my briefcase because I kept leaving it on the kitchen table.”
Ethan's eyes widened.
“Really?”
Richard nodded.
“I opened it during a meeting.”
The boy smiled.
“What happened?”
“I nearly jumped out of my chair.”
Ethan laughed.
Maya stirred beneath the blanket.
She opened her eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
Richard looked toward her.
“Your mother's plastic spider.”
Maya stared.
Then began smiling.
“Oh, that one.”
Ethan turned.
“You remember?”
She nodded.
“Mom made me promise not to tell Dad.”
Richard chuckled.
“Apparently I was the last person in the house to know.”
For several minutes, the three of them talked quietly.
About Laura's terrible singing while cleaning.
The pancakes she burned because she always tried to do three things at once.
The way she called Ethan “little bear.”
The ridiculous holiday decorations she insisted on making by hand.
They laughed.
They cried.
And for the first time in years, remembering Laura did not feel like something forbidden.
Eventually, Ethan fell asleep again.
Maya rested against her pillow.
Richard rose.
Then stopped when she spoke.
“Dad?”
He turned.
She looked at him.
“Do you think Nicole had something to do with Mom dying?”
Richard felt his chest tighten.
He wanted to protect his daughter from the fear in that question.
Wanted to tell her no.
Wanted to promise there was nothing worse waiting.
But he had already made too many comforting assumptions.
He sat beside her.
“I don't know.”
Maya swallowed.
“But you're going to find out?”
Richard nodded.
“Yes.”
She looked down at her hands.
Then whispered, “Please don't lie to us.”
The words broke his heart.
He reached toward her.