Kieran immediately launched into an excited story about a paper airplane he had made at school.
Apparently, it had almost landed in another child’s lunch.
Callum listened attentively.
He didn’t glance over Kieran’s shoulder to see what I was doing.
He didn’t try to turn the conversation toward me.
He simply listened to our son.
That was something new.
Kieran rushed down the hallway to grab his jacket.
Callum remained beside the open front door.
“Do you still want him back by five?” he asked.
“Yes, please.”
“I’ll make sure he’s home on time.”
I nodded.
He hesitated for a moment.
“Do you need me to pick up anything while we’re out?”
The woman I used to be would have taken that opening and tried to make everything comfortable again.
She would have found some small errand to give him.
Something that made the situation feel normal.
