I didn’t gather everyone around the table for a dramatic announcement. The older grandchildren came home over the weekend, and we spoke to the younger ones carefully, giving each of them time to ask questions.
Their reactions were different.
Some were furious.
One of my grandsons insisted he never wanted to speak to his parents again.
Another wanted to know where they lived and why they hadn’t tried to find him.
Romy listened quietly.
Then she asked the question I’d been dreading.
“Grandma, if they wanted to leave, does that mean they didn’t want us?”
I pulled her close.
“I can’t tell you why they made the choices they did,” I said. “But none of you did anything to deserve being left behind.”
She cried against my shoulder for a long time.
There are still things we don’t know.
The authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident, including how Silas and Bree’s identities came to be attached to it.
