I nodded.“He was really close with his dad.He loved him.Admired him.It broke him.”
Liam said nothing.
“I didn’t…I didn’t tell him about you,” I admitted.“When Ifound out you were in my belly.”
He turned his head and gave me the side eye.
“I tried,” I assured him.“But honestly, not hard enough.Hewas dealing with big things.I was young.I made a decision.It was a mistake.He was upset with me when he found out I had you and he didn’t know.”
“It’s okay.I got you, and Grandpop, and Grandmoms, andAuntie Lena, Auntie Toni, Uncle Tony and—”
“He would be here if he felt he could.”
Liam looked out the window again, but this time, when he didit, I felt my small hairs stand on end.
Because this time, it wasn’t avoidance.
It was cagey.
And what I’d said begged the question, why couldn’t hisfather be here?
But Liam didn’t ask that question.
“Liam?”
He straightened up again and looked at me.
I spoke.“I can’t explain why he can’t be here because Idon’t understand it myself.But it’s something important to him.He gives usmoney.We wouldn’t have,” I threw out a hand lamely, “pretty much most of whatwe have if he didn’t look out for us.”
“A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do,” he muttered.
I stared at him.
Was that it?
A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.
“He doesn’t know I know he gives us the money,” Ipersevered.“I mean, I think heknows, but he doesn’t want us toknow.”
Liam was again silent.
“But he, um…gives us a lot of money.”
“Good.Everybody needs money.”
“Do you want me to try to contact him, tell him you want tomeet him?”I offered.
He shrugged and said, “Naw, I’m good.”
Something wasn’t right here, and it wasn’t what seemed to bewrong on the face of it.
“Fathers are kinda important to little boys,” I saidcarefully.
He forked into his pancakes.“Then it’s good I got a daddywho takes care of us with money.I got friends whose daddies don’t doanything.”
I knew that to be sad, but very true.
“Do you have any questions?”I asked.
