For years, Gavin had carried two griefs.
Rachel was gone.
And Chloe had lost both parents in different ways.
Chloe turned another page.
This drawing showed three people sitting on a porch. Above them she had written:
When Daddy Comes Home.
Gavin stared at the words.
“Chloe…”
“I know you said maybe,” she said quickly. “I know maybe isn’t yes. But Denise says making pictures helps when feelings are too big.”
Gavin could not speak.
Chloe looked at him with solemn concern. “Are your feelings too big?”
He laughed once, and tears came with it. “Yeah. They are.”
She slid closer and leaned against his arm.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Then Gavin whispered, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
Chloe looked up. “You couldn’t be.”
“I know, but I’m still sorry.”
She thought about that with the seriousness of a child who had learned grown-up sadness too early.
