The Question I Couldn’t Stop Asking
I tried, once, to ask the one question I could not stop turning over while working from home.
“Nathan,” I said while he was eating cereal one morning. “Has Madison… I mean, do you two talk much? At school?”
He shrugged. “A little. She’s nice, Mom. Really nice.”
“It’s just… it happened so fast. Are you sure she…?”
My son looked up at me, and the smile faded just a little.
“You think she’s playing a joke on me.”
“I didn’t say that,” I tried, backtracking.
“You don’t have to.”
“Honey, I just want to protect you.”
“I know.” His voice was quiet. “But can you just be happy for me?”
I nodded because I could not think of anything to say that would not make it worse.