No More Secret Promises
The next morning, Brandon and I sat on Alex’s bed.
Our son watched us nervously, his green dinosaur resting in his lap.
Brandon lifted the mattress and looked at the rows of forks.
“The Treasure Knights have finished their job,” he told him.
Alex frowned. “Are you still coming home?”
Brandon pulled him close.
“Always. But we don’t need forks to prove it.”
“What if you have to go away?”
“Then Mommy and I will tell you together. No secrets.”
Alex looked at me.
I nodded.
“In this family, we tell the truth, even when it feels scary.”
He considered this very seriously.
Then he helped us collect the forks.
We washed every one of them and returned them to the kitchen drawer.
That afternoon, Brandon and I sat at the table with every overdue bill, every bank statement, and every fear we had avoided.
