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Show 16-4 "Just be careful. Don't push too far. I can see that Larry is really hurt. There is a change in him. Be very careful." Again, I couldn't hear Mother's words, only her voice, low and murmuring. Then Ruth's quiet laugh. Then footsteps and the front door shutting quietly. I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Eric was the man at the concert. And Mother must once have loved him. And Father knew it. And now he was out walking in the darkness, feeling hurt, as Ruth said. I decided to lie awake until he came home and go down and talk to him. I curled up on the bed to wait. The next thing I knew Mother was by my bed, pulling off my clothes and shoes. I jerked awake. "Father?" "He's downstairs. Go back to sleep." "I want to talk to him." But my mind was fuzzy from sleep and I let her cover me and tuck me in and soon I slept. After that, things at home were more normal. Mother was planning a new program for the hospital but she took care to pay attention at meals, to join us in talk and laughter, to be herself. She touched Father more than usual, putting her hand on his shoulder as she poured him coffee, patting him as he sat reading the paper. While Father kept an edge of sadness, of carefulness around her, he too tried to restore our family to its normal ways. We had not forgotten the hard days but we did not dwell on them. And while I was not fully aware of what had passed between my parents, I knew something had come very close to hurting us all. I hoped whatever it was had gone from our lives forever. |
