Chapter 4 - What Daniel knew
Daniel arrived at 1:20 the next morning.
He came directly from Richmond airport to my mother’s house, where Lily and I were staying.
Not our own home.
I did not want Helen or Frank showing up.
I did not yet trust Daniel not to let them in.
That hurt to admit.
Lily was asleep on the downstairs sofa because she did not want to climb stairs with the brace.
Daniel knelt beside her.
Touched her hair.
Cried.
Then we went into the kitchen.
I closed the door.
“Talk.”
He sat.
“Mom started complaining about Lily around January.”
The barbecue had been in June.
Five months.
“What did she say?”
“That Lily was talking back.”
“What does that mean?”
“Saying no. Arguing.”
“Examples.”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“Mom would ask her to clear dishes. Lily would say she wasn’t done.”
“That is a conversation.”
“I know.”
“Another.”
“Carla said Lily refused to hug her.”
I stared.
“She is allowed.”
“I know.”
“Did you say that?”
“Yes.”
“Then?”
“Carla said Lily rolled her eyes and said, ‘You’re not my mom.’”
“That was what she said today.”
“Yes.”
“So this has happened before.”
“Apparently.”
“Did Carla punish her?”
Daniel hesitated.
“I knew she had sent her inside once.”
“For what?”
“Talking back.”
“Did you tell me?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I thought you’d explode.”
I laughed once.
Not humor.
“So you concealed it because you believed my reaction would be inconvenient.”
“I thought it was minor.”
“Then why conceal it?”
He had no answer.
Good.
That silence was useful.
Then he said:
“There’s a group chat.”
I stopped.
“What group chat?”
“Mom, Dad, Carla, me, Mark sometimes.”
“About Lily?”
“Family stuff.”
“Show me.”
He pulled out his phone.
The chat was named:
KEEPING THE PEACE.
I almost laughed again.
Then I read.
Helen:
Lily had another fit because Carla asked her to stop interrupting. Naomi is making that child impossible.
Carla:
She told me I can’t tell her what to do.
Frank:
Then make her sit out until she learns.
Daniel:
Don’t overdo it. I’ll talk to her.
I looked at him.
“Keep going.”
Another date.
Carla:
She refused to apologize. I took the tablet for the afternoon.
Daniel:
Okay but tell Naomi it was screen rules or we’ll get another lecture.
I stopped breathing.
“You told them to lie to me.”
He went pale.
“I meant—”
“No.”
“Naomi.”
“You wrote it.”
He looked down.
May you like
“Yes.”
There.
