Chapter 3

"After Friday, can I call you Dad at school?"

The voice came from Daniel's phone.

I stopped outside the kitchen with Lucy's clean costume over my arm.

It was Thursday evening. He had just come home and put his phone on speaker while washing his hands.

Now the water stopped.

Oliver spoke again before Daniel could lower the volume.

"Mom said everyone will know you by then."

I gripped the hanger.

That morning, Daniel had asked for the address of Lucy's performance. He said he wanted to check the parking before the doors opened.

For a few hours, I had let myself imagine he might choose her.

Now Vanessa's voice floated from the kitchen.

"He has practiced his speech all week. He wants to thank you when you receive the award."

Daniel lowered his voice. "We'll talk about the name after the ceremony, okay?"

He hadn't told Oliver to call him Dad.

He hadn't told him not to.

He said after the ceremony, as if becoming that boy's father in public was only a matter of timing.

He had promised Lucy the front row while privately discussing when another child could call him Dad.

He picked up the phone, and the speaker went silent.

I stepped back before he saw me.

For years, I had wondered whether I asked too much of him.

Now I understood. I had asked the wrong question.

Daniel was capable of showing up. He simply spent that devotion somewhere else.

Upstairs, Lucy sat on her bed practicing the difficult line of her song.

"Did Dad get the address?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Good." She smoothed her skirt. "I don't want him to miss my part."

One child was begging Daniel to keep a single seat. The other was asking when he could use Daniel's name in public.

I hung the costume on her door.

Then I went into the bathroom and shut it.

I had spoken to the lawyer that afternoon, before Daniel came home.

We'd discussed what I needed for a separation and what arrangements involving Lucy would require further advice.

I hadn't been given a finished answer to every question.

I had been given somewhere to start.

The list was in my bag.

Then, I called my sister, Megan.

"We're coming tomorrow after the recital," I said. "Not just for the weekend."

Her answer was immediate. "I'll have the room ready."

After the call, I packed what we'd need.

I packed documents, medication, work files, Lucy's school shoes, and her stuffed dog. I left Daniel's drawers untouched.

Later, I told Lucy we'd stay with Aunt Megan after the performance. Dad and I had things to work through.

She asked whether Megan would come hear her sing.

"Yes. She'll be there."

This was a promise I could make.

I saved the audio clip and sent a copy to Megan. Then I placed Lucy's costume back on its hanger before she came upstairs. She was still humming the song she planned to perform for him.

At dinner, Lucy wrote DAD'S SEAT across a folded pink card. Daniel watched her color the letters and promised he would arrive before she carried it into the auditorium.

Daniel came upstairs after his call. He straightened Lucy's costume on the door. "I'll meet you at the auditorium."

"At six?"

His eyes met mine. "At six."