nothing wrong. I did nothing that caused him to abandon his responsibilities.”
I paused.
“Your father left because he made a selfish decision. That belongs to him. Not you.”
All three children were listening now.
Andy looked down.
“Does he love us?”
That was the question I had dreaded.
I refused to lie.
“I don’t know what he feels.”
Their faces fell slightly.
“But I know what love does.”
They looked at me.
“Love stays. Love shows up. Love changes diapers and goes to parent-teacher conferences and sits through two-hour school concerts even when your child is only onstage for four minutes.”
Andy smiled.
“So love is bored a lot?”
“Sometimes incredibly bored.”
They laughed.
And I thought the conversation was over.
I had no idea that three years later, a school concert would bring their father back into our lives.
PART FIVE — THE MAN ACROSS THE AUDITORIUM
The triplets
