Ethan shows up at the house unexpectedly one day in early May with his six year old daughter, Gillian. Itâs not unwelcome, of course. She loves her son and her first grandchild more than almost anything.
Despite that, sheâs worried. Ethan never just shows up like this.
So, once Gilly is set up with a coloring book and crayons, she and Ethan go and sit out of earshot but still within sight of Gilly. Midge may be older now, but she remembers what kids are like.
âSo. Whatâs wrong, Ethan?â
He sits there and sips the coffee sheâs served, fidgets with his hands and finally he sighs.
âYou know how Aggie left?â She nods, encouraging him to continue. âWellâŠGilly has been handling it pretty wellâŠâ He frowns. âOr, I thought she was. Something odd has been happening the last week or so. I was hoping that youâd know what was going on. Youâve done this whole single parent thing, after all.â
She doesnât point out that it was a little different. Joel was still around to help out. Aggie had just up and left not just the state but the country.
âWhat has she been doing?â
He rubs his forehead. âStaring at me in my sleep.â
She canât help the laugh that bursts out of her. Sheâs glad that she hadnât been drinking just then. Coffee out of the nose is painful.
âGee, Ma. Thanks. You're such a big help.â He looks so much like Joel but sounds so much like Lenny.
âOh, Iâm sorry darling. Like father, like daughterâŠâ she composes herself a little. âYou did the same thing when Joel left. I would wake up in the night and youâd be standing by my bed staring at me.â
She nods and takes a drink of her coffee. âScared the shit out of me the first few times you did it too. It took me a while to figure out what it was. You had gone to bed one night and daddy was there and then when you woke up, he was gone. You were reassuring yourself that I was still there. That I wasnât going to do the same thing.â
âFuck.â The swear was soft but emphatic. âIâm sorry?â
âItâs okay, Ethan. Itâs a perfectly normal reaction to losing a parent.â
âMa. What do I do about it?â
She thinks about it. âComfort her. However you can. Hugs, letting her sleep with you a few nights until she feels safe again.â
âIs that what you did?â
She gives a grimace. âHonestly? At first, I bought that stupid fucking Dr. Spock book andâŠâ she pauses for a moment. âI went out with Lenny, got high on pot for the first time, did a set about it and thenâŠthrew the book out and decided to see if you did it again.â
He snorts. âSounds about right. Did I do it again?â
âI put you in my bed, went and got Esther out of her crib and we had a little slumber party right there until you fell asleep. We did that every night for a week and then you stopped.â