Chapter 20 - The Kids Speak
Leo pulled a small, folded sheet of colorful cardstock out of his pocket and held it up to the camera lens. It was a homemade drawing of a castle with five smiling stick figures outside—me, Caleb, Leo, Noah, and little Maya. Tori was conspicuously absent from the drawing.
"I made this for your fridge when you get home," Leo said proudly. "Daddy said you come home in two days."
"I do, darling," I promised. "And that drawing is going right in the center of the refrigerator door."
"Grandma?" Leo's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, looking around the kitchen as if checking for spies. "Do you know what was in the green boxes under Mommy’s vanity?"
Caleb frowned, looking down at his son. "What green boxes, Leo?"
"The ones in the back of the shoe closet," Leo explained innocently. "The metal ones with the key taped to the bottom. When Aunt Patrice helped us pack Mommy’s clothes for the motel, Maya knocked one over. Papers fell out with your name on them, Grandma."
A strange, prickly chill ran down the back of my neck. "My name, Leo?"
"Yeah," the boy said, nodding vigorously. "It had your house on it! A picture of your front porch and big stamps that said 'APPROVED' in red ink. Daddy, remember? Aunt Patrice picked them up and put them on your desk."
Caleb’s expression instantly darkened. The exhaustion on his face shifted into acute alarm. "Mom, hold on a second."
He walked away from the camera, leaving Leo chatting happily about the neighbor's dog. I sat frozen on the balcony in Lisbon, the gentle ocean breeze suddenly feeling icy cold against my skin.
*Approved stamps? My house?*
I had paid off my mortgage eight years ago. My house was completely free and clear—a modest three-bedroom brick ranch sitting on half an acre of peaceful land. There were no mortgages, no liens, no active loans on my property.
Caleb reappeared on the screen. He wasn't smiling anymore. His face was entirely devoid of color, his hands shaking visibly as he held a thick manila folder in front of his chest.
"Leo," Caleb said, his voice strained and unnaturally tight. "Go into the living room and watch cartoons with Noah and Maya. Now, buddy."
May you like
Leo blinked, sensing the sudden shift in the room, and scampered off without a word.
***
