Chapter 3

Usually, Mom helped me change out of my pajamas, put on my clothes, and then took me to brush my teeth. She joked that at ten years old, I still needed her help; other kids would laugh at me.

I would pout and say, "They'd just be jealous my mom takes such good care of me."

But now that Mom’s gone, I had to dress myself. When I got to the dining table, our nanny, May had breakfast ready.

May asked me, "Why isn't Mrs. up yet?"

I replied, "Mom’s still sleeping."

May was the nanny Mom hired for me, paying ten years’ salary in one go, to take care of me.

Before, we didn’t have a nanny. Mom took care of everything at home. She was like Superwoman. After finishing chores and putting me to bed, she would study law books in the study for an hour each night to prepare for the bar exam.

Dad didn’t understand and said, "Why do you tire yourself out? I support you, wouldn’t it be nice to relax?"

But Mom would gently and firmly shake her head and say, "Rex, it’s my dream."

When she said that, her eyes shone brightly. I thought she looked so beautiful then, and Dad must have thought so too.

He would reach out, impulsively hug her, and nuzzle into her neck like a puppy. Mom’s face would turn red and she’d push Dad away.

"Candy’s right here."

I knew Dad and Mom were about to play a game they never let me join. I wanted to ask Mom to include me this time, but when Dad’s eyes landed on me, he said, "Candy, out."

I got scared and left obediently.

Most times, Dad was nice to me. But I feared that look he gave me, making me agree to things without question.

After that, things got better at home. Dad encouraged Mom to study for the bar and stayed up late with her.

But the day before the exam, Dad took all of Mom’s documents and locked her in a room. He only let her out after the exam was over and he returned from work with me. Mom looked at Dad with fire in her eyes.

"Rex, do you know I’ve prepared for a whole year for this? Do you know how important this is to me?"

Ignoring her struggles, Dad held her tightly and softly said, "Evie, I’m sorry, but it’s for our family. I just want you to be home where I can hold you whenever I want. Candy feels the same way."

As he said this, he looked at me. I remembered Dad’s words from earlier that day:

"If Mom becomes a lawyer, she’ll be traveling for work and forget all about you. And if she meets someone she likes, she might leave us."

Dad’s words scared me. I didn’t want Mom to leave.

So, I held Mom’s hand and said, "Mom, don’t be mad at Dad. I don’t want you to leave either."

Mom looked at me, her strength fading as she slumped into Dad’s arms. After a while, her dry voice finally made its way out.

"Don’t let it happen again."

Dad smiled, satisfied.

Even though things turned out as I wanted, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had done something terribly wrong when I saw Mom’s now dimmer eyes.