invent excuses for the younger boys.
If Daniel checked his phone during dinner, Elliot stared at it until he put it away.
“He’s making me earn everything,” Daniel told me once.
“Good.”
And slowly, Daniel began showing up.
On time.
Every Wednesday.
Every other Friday.
Soccer games.
School events.
He became loud on the sidelines again.
The referee told him to calm down again.
He started throwing Ben into the air again.
Scoop.
Throw.
Shriek.
Whatever happened between Daniel and Claire became their problem.
I stopped asking.
Months later, Claire
