I felt my stomach tighten.
“Yes.”
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Elaine began to cry.
“I always wondered what kind of man he’d become,” she whispered. “I used to pray that someone would tell me he was all right.”
We spoke for nearly an hour.
Elaine told me that after Ryan’s father left, she had helped Patricia with everything. She picked Ryan up from school, cooked for him, took him to the doctor, and spent weekends with him when Patricia was working.
Then, without warning, Patricia began restricting her visits.
At first, Elaine assumed Patricia was tired or upset.
Then the calls stopped being returned.
When Elaine visited the house, Patricia told her Ryan was busy.
Eventually, she was told not to come back.
“I sent birthday cards,” Elaine said. “Christmas presents, too. I called every few months. Patricia kept telling me he didn’t want to speak to me.”
