Tobin came home after lunch to grab his phone charger. He found me folding towels.
“Mom, why do you always tell us Dad doesn’t mean it?”
I looked up.
“What do you mean?”
“When he says something hurtful, you say he’s tired, or joking, or having a bad day.”
I started to defend Wade.
Then I stopped.
Tobin sat on the bed.
“Remember Aunt Beverly’s birthday dinner? When you wore that blue dress?”
I’d bought the dress after Graham encouraged me to get something nice for myself.
“What about it?”
“Dad said you looked like you were trying too hard.”
I remembered that evening. I’d changed before we left.
“I’d forgotten you were there,” I said.
“I was standing right beside you.”
I looked down at the towels.
“I thought it was just a comment.”
“Then why did you change?”
I couldn’t answer.
