Page 91 of Someone to Remember
“You guys…” I gather them in close to me. “You make me so proud every day, but especially this week. I’m so, so sorry this has happened to you again. No one should ever have to lose two daddies.”
“We were lucky to have them,” Eliza says.
I blink back the tears that’ve been threatening since I walked into the room. “That’s a nice way to look at it.”
“Some kids have no daddies,” Miles says. “We got to have two.”
“That’s true.”
We sit together for a long time, drawing comfort from each other the way we have in the years since we lost Greg. “When the baby comes, we’ll add him to our team and make sure he knows how very much his daddy loved him.”
“Daddy was so excited,” Eliza says. “He was silly excited.”
Smiling, I say, “Yes, he was.”
“We’ll take good care of our brother,” Miles says. “Always.”
“Love you guys the mostest.”
“That’s not a word,” Eliza says with third-grade disdain.
“It’s a word if I say it is,” I reply in a teasing tone. “I’m the mom.”
“Mommy,” Eliza says tentatively, “when will we go back to school?”
They’ve stayed home this week. “Maybe after the Thanksgiving break, if you feel ready?”
She nods. “I miss my friends.”
“I’m sure they miss you, too.”
“What do we wear to the wake and funeral?” she asks.
“Let’s go see what our options are and figure that out, and, guys… If you change your mind about going, it’s totally fine. Daddy doesn’t expect you to put yourself through this if you don’t feel up to it—and I don’t either.”
“We won’t change our minds,” Eliza says as Miles nods in agreement.
I’ve never been prouder of them.
Derek
On Sunday,Roni is quiet and introspective from the minute we get up, through our morning coffee ritual and breakfast with Maeve and Dylan.
Maeve tries to get Roni to sing one of her silly songs for her, and Roni tries, but her song doesn’t have the usual joyful frivolity.
Later, when Dylan is napping and Maeve is having quiet time in her room with her stuffed animals and books, I go looking for Roni and find her in the laundry room, folding the mountain of clothes two young kids produce.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
“What’s up?”
“Just folding. You?”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, why?”
