“Why did they keep you and not me?”
Barbara went white.
“Alan…”
“No,” I said. “I need the real answer. Not the padded version.”
She stared at the steering wheel for a long time.
Then she whispered, “Dad wants to tell you himself.”
I felt sick.
My stomach dropped. “So you’re setting up a meeting.”
Barbara nodded. “Two weeks.”
I should’ve felt eager.
I felt sick.
Two weeks later, we drove to Richard’s house. Quiet street. Small place. Ramp instead of steps.
My hands were sweating through my jeans.
“There’s something I need to tell you first.”
Right before I got out, Barbara grabbed my arm.
“Alan,” she said, urgently, “there’s something I need to tell you first.”
I exhaled. “What now?”
“Grandma’s here,” she said. “She has a lot of opinions.”
“Okay…?” I said, already irritated.
Barbara’s grip tightened. “Wait. If you go in there without knowing this… you’ll be in danger.”
“She’ll mess with your head.”
“In danger,” I repeated. “From an old lady?”
“Not physical,” she said fast. “She’ll mess with your head. She’ll make you feel like you’re the problem. Don’t let her rewrite what happened.”
I stared at the house.
“If she was part of sending me away,” I said, “I’d rather hear it to my face.”
Barbara swallowed hard. “Just… promise you won’t believe her.”
She looked me up and down like I was a nuisance.
“I’ll try,” I said, and got out anyway.
Inside looked like every grandma’s house ever: lace curtains, framed photos, that clean-old smell.
In the living room, an older woman sat upright in a chair like she was waiting to scold someone.
Iron-gray hair. Pearls. Tight mouth.
She looked me up and down like I was a nuisance.
“You must be Alan,” she said, coldly. “You should have waited outside. This is very stressful for your father.”
“I told you this was a bad idea.”
No hello. No warmth. Nothing.
Barbara stepped forward. “Grandma—”
“I told you this was a bad idea,” Grandma snapped. “We signed the papers for a reason. We did what was best for everyone. Dragging this up is selfish.”
My chest went hot.
“We?” I said. “We signed papers?”
His eyes locked on mine.
Grandma waved a hand. “Everything was handled properly.”
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