Mom looked horrified. “No! She gave me the money!”
“Then why are you afraid?!”
“Because I disappointed her!”
“How?!”
Mom looked horrified.
She turned toward the window.
I wanted to push, but her hands were trembling again.
***
That evening, my mom barely touched her dinner.
When I suggested walking along the beach, she said she was tired.
I wanted to push.
Before sleeping, she asked me something strange. “Michael, do you think a person can forgive someone who disappears without explaining why?”
“Depends on what happened.”
She nodded. “That’s what worries me.”
She asked me something strange.
After Mom fell asleep, I called Marcus, whispering. “Did Mom ever mention someone named Evelyn?”
“Why?”
“She recognized the hotel we were supposed to stay in and started crying. Apparently, Evelyn helped us when we were kids.”
