When he lost his battle with cancer, the grief was deep and brutal.
It hollowed me out in ways I am still trying to understand. The house we live in was his. Everything in it carries his memory.
The girls arrived during this nightmare. They were respectful at William’s funeral. They hugged me and said comforting things.
But I could see the calm in their eyes. They were relieved William was gone.
I told myself I was imagining it. That grief makes you see things that are not there.
But deep down, I knew that I was wrong.
“Mom, where do you want these boxes?” Mattie had asked the day they moved in, standing in the hallway with two suitcases and a resigned expression.
“Just take the two rooms upstairs on the left,” I said. “Make yourselves at home.”
Jacob had peeked around the corner, curious. “Are Kyra and Mattie staying forever?”
“For a little while, buddy,” I told him, ruffling his hair.
He nodded, but he did not smile.Continue reading…
