“Anarmadillo, yes.Three-banded. It’s not actually a risk for Gil at all.”
Tracy gave a brittle laugh. “Your little affliction just gets more and more complicated.”
“It’s not an—” Bruno sighed and refused to be baited. “Was there something else you wanted?”
“I thought I should tell you, instead of letting you findout about it later. I’m getting married. I told Gil. I think he understands.”
Bruno waited for the emotional load to hit him and was not reassured when it didn’t. He was just putting off the inevitable hurt for some later time. “Does this…change anything?”
“I’m not going to be asking for custody, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Tracy said flatly. “We’re planning our own family.” Anormalfamily, was the unspoken bit. “This is just…a courtesy call.”
“I appreciate it,” Bruno said, exactly as coldly. “I’ll send a gift.”
“Bruno…” Tracy’s voice softened. “I don’t want Gil to think that I regret?—”
“I would never tell him that,” Bruno said ferociously. “Whatever my feelings about you are, whatever your feelings are about me, Gil is the best thing we ever did together, and I will let him keep the fiction of a mother who loves him no matter what he is as long as you can.”
“I do love him,” Tracy said tearfully. “You know that. Don’t be unfair.”
Bruno regretted his harsh words. He’d been without her longer than he’d been with her now, but it still stung his pride that he’d misjudged the strength of their relationship so sorely. He couldn’t let that get under his skin. “I won’t lie to Gil when he gets old enough to ask direct questions, but I will always paint you in the best light I can. I won’t be the wedge between you.”
“Thank you,” Tracy said. “That’s all I can ask. There’s a Christmas gift in the mail for him.”
“I’ll let you know when it gets here. Good night.” Bruno hung up and waited for the anger to hit.
It didn’t come.
Tracy had moved on and he felt only relief. He didn’thave any reason left to try to mend what they’d broken. That chapter of his life was over, and that door was shut.
Maybe—just maybe!—it was time for a new chapter. He found himself thinking about the woman who had brought Gil back from his adventures.Clarice.
“Gil? Are you ready for bed?”
“I’m WASHING MY HANDS,” Gil sang from the bathroom. “WITH SOAP.” There was an ominous crash. “I’M OKAY!”
A new chapter would have to wait for this one to go to bed.
5
BRUNO
Gil had completely forgotten about “Lespery” again the following day and was every inch his energetic self again, complete with train-whistle noises and excited speculation about Christmas (which was only a few weeks away). He told Bruno non-stop about his day at Kindergarten.
“And I HID and they couldn’t FIND me and the TEACHER said I didn’t understand the RULES and couldn’t play during READING and TARA was the BEST HIDER and FRANZI gave me an ORANGE and I found a NICKEL in the HALL and I GOT TO KEEP IT but I lost it on the PLAYGROUND.”
Bruno worried that he would get gloomy as they got to Tiny Paws, where Gil would spend the afternoon, but the boy unbuckled himself eagerly from his car seat and would have ejected from the rolling car if the door hadn’t been childlocked. “Gil, you have to wait until the car completely stops!” Bruno scolded, putting the car into park.
“I GET BORED,” Gil groused. “You take too long.”
He bolted ahead of Bruno, leaving his jacket and bootsin a trail behind him, and clambered over the gate into the playroom. “I LOST MY NICKEL!” he announced.
Bruno came to the gate to catch the eyes of one of the Tiny Paws staff and Alan came to greet him, cautioning Gil to be careful of the babies who were out and crawling around.
“I’LL BE CAREFUL!” Gil promised, and he promptly crashed into one of the tables and knocked a thermos over.
“Boy energy,” Bruno said wryly, realizing as he said it out loud that it was a thoughtless and gendered statement. “Five-year-old energy,” he amended himself.
“I wish I could bottle it,” Alan said, with a knowing smile and no offense. “It’s like they have caffeine in their veins instead of blood.”
