Verena pushed a bouquet into the open memorial urn belonging to Alden’s late wife and deliberately moved the lid away when six-year-old Milo reached for it.
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Chapter 15 / 17
Chapter 15
Milo was nine when he asked whether I loved Verena.
“Yes.”
He looked surprised.
“Even bad?”
“She did something wrong.”
“Big wrong.”
“Yes.”
“I still loved her.”
He processed that.
Children want moral categories.
Adults do too.
Then:
“Why not marry?”
“Love isn’t the only thing marriage needs.”
“What else?”
“Trust.”
“Pizza?”
I laughed.
“Also pizza.”
Good.
Then he asked whether I still loved Mommy.
“Yes.”
“Same?”
“No.”
That interested him.
“How?”
I thought.
“One is memory now.”
He nodded.
“Verena alive.”
“Yes.”
Simple.
May you like
I did not need a perfect explanation.
He returned to his game.
