Page 75 of Strum Me

I see Carrie and Ben and a third person walking beside them.

“Oh my God,” Emily gasps and she’s turned white. I’ve seen her look like that before, when she’d heard the news about Ben in the hospital. It’s not something I wanted to ever see again.

“What is it?” I ask her.

“It’s…oh my God. What is he doing here?”

“Who?”

“Him.”

I look again. They’re closer now and I can see Ben chatting away, his good hand holding the hand of the third person.

A third person who looks vaguely familiar.

“Mommy! Mommy look who I found!”

“Emily?” I turn back to her, touching her gently on the shoulder. She doesn’t respond. “What is it?”

“Mommy, look!” Ben repeats, now just feet away.

And now I know where I’ve seen the person before.

“Brad. It’s nice to see you again.” He holds his hand out to me.

“Silas.” I reach out, out of pure habit.

He shakes my hand and smiles before turning his attention to Emily.

“Hi Emily, you look good.”

“Uh, thanks,” she replies, her voice small and shaken.

“How do you know Uncle Brad?” Ben looks up, asking Silas.

“We used to go to school together!” Silas says, looking down at him.

“Oh, like with Mommy when she was little, not old,” Ben says, and giggles remembering our joke.

“Yup, just like that. She was my girlfriend,” Silas tells him.

“Ew, yucky.” Ben screws up his nose.

“And…how do you know Silas, Ben?” I can’t wait any longer to ask.

“Oh, that’s a silly question, Uncle Brad,” Ben tells me. “I know him because he’s my daddy.”