One Thursday evening, I was folding laundry when I heard him in the garage.
“No, she doesn’t know,” he said quietly. “And I don’t want her finding out this way.”
I stopped folding.
A few seconds passed.
Then he said, “Tomorrow should work. I’ll meet you there.”
I heard footsteps and quickly returned to the laundry basket.
When he entered the house, he looked at me for a moment longer than usual.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
He smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
That night, I barely slept.
The next morning, I called Emily.
“Are you coming over this weekend?”
“Probably, Mom. Why?”
“No reason. I thought we could have dinner.”
“Sure.”
She sounded distracted. Before hanging up, she asked a strange question.
“Mom, have you been feeling tired lately?”
I sat up in bed.
“What kind of question is that?”
