Chapter 20 - Daniel and Mike
Daniel stopped seeing Mike for almost four months.
Not because a court ordered it.
Mike was not his legal father.
After divorce, their continued relationship had been informal because Daniel wanted it.
Then Daniel did not.
Mike asked through me:
“Can I call him?”
I asked Daniel.
“No.”
I replied:
“No.”
Mike did not like it.
He respected it.
That mattered.
Four months later, Daniel asked:
“Does Mike love Molly more than me?”
I said:
“This is something you may eventually want to ask him.”
“I’m asking you.”
“I don’t know how to measure someone else’s love.”
“He lied about her.”
“Yes.”
“He lied about us.”
“Yes.”
“Which one was real?”
Both, I thought.
But a ten-year-old needed something cleaner without becoming false.
“Your relationship with Mike was real even though he lied about other parts of his life.”
Daniel looked angry.
“How?”
“Because breakfasts happened. Baseball happened. Disney happened. Him teaching you to swim happened.”
“He left.”
“Yes.”
“That happened too.”
He stared at the floor.
Then:
“I want to ask him.”
We arranged a meeting.
Public park.
I stayed nearby.
Mike looked nervous.
Daniel went straight at him.
“Did you love Molly when you lived with us?”
“Yes.”
“Did you love me?”
“Yes.”
“Then why couldn’t we know each other?”
Mike’s face crumpled.
“Because I was a coward.”
Daniel stared.
“That’s stupid.”
“Yes.”
“Did you think Mom would leave?”
“Yes.”
“She left anyway.”
“Yes.”
“Did you think Aunt Naya would leave?”
“Yes.”
“She did.”
“Yes.”
Daniel considered.
“So lying didn’t work.”
Mike almost laughed.
May you like
“No.”
Good lesson, delivered late.
