Chapter 6 - THE PEOPLE WHO HELPED VANESSA WITHOUT KNOWING IT
Arthur’s sister Meredith arrived furious.
Not at Vanessa.
At Arthur.
“You threw her out without even letting her explain?”
Arthur stared at her.
“I let her explain for two years.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No?”
Meredith lowered her voice because the children were upstairs.
“She held this family together after Claire died.”
Arthur heard the phrase again.
Held this family together.
Vanessa’s greatest protection was not secrecy.
It was usefulness.
Meredith continued:
“She handled everything you couldn’t.”
“Exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means none of us checked what ‘everything’ included.”
Meredith crossed her arms.
“Ethan has always had trouble with her.”
Arthur looked at his sister.
“What?”
“You know that.”
“No.”
“At Christmas he was rude to her.”
“He asked to stay with his grandmother.”
“During dinner.”
“Because apparently nobody listened anywhere else.”
Meredith flinched.
Arthur softened slightly.
“Did he ever tell you he was afraid?”
She looked away.
That was enough.
“When?”
“After Easter.”
Arthur stared.
Meredith sat down.
“He said Vanessa was trying to make Maya stop remembering Claire.”
“And what did you do?”
“I told him Vanessa wasn’t replacing his mother.”
Arthur laughed without humor.
“He didn’t say she was.”
Meredith’s face changed.
“He said she was erasing her.”
The distinction settled between them.
“What exactly did Ethan tell you?”
“That she threw away a drawing Maya made of Claire.”
Arthur waited.
“I asked Vanessa.”
“Of course.”
Meredith’s eyes filled.
“She said Maya threw it away herself after getting frustrated.”
“And you believed her.”
“Yes.”
Meredith covered her face.
Arthur wanted someone to blame.
Then he remembered how many times he had done exactly the same thing.
Ask Vanessa.
Accept Vanessa’s explanation.
Return to work.
The next person to speak was Mrs. Alvarez, the housekeeper who came three days a week.
She remembered Vanessa taking boxes into Claire’s studio.
“I thought you asked her to.”
“Why?”
“She always said, ‘Arthur doesn’t want the children living in the past.’”
Arthur went still.
That phrase sounded familiar.
Not because Vanessa invented it.
Because Arthur had said something similar.
Once.
Maybe more.
Mrs. Alvarez continued.
“I saw Ethan trying to get into that room in March.”
“What happened?”
“Mrs. Mercer told him you would be very upset.”
Arthur looked toward the staircase.
“Was I home?”
“No.”
He almost asked why Mrs. Alvarez had not told him.
Then stopped.
He already knew.
Everyone assumed Vanessa spoke for him.
Because Arthur had taught them that she did.
That evening Ethan refused to sleep in his bedroom.
He carried his pillow into Maya’s room.
Arthur found him on the floor beside her bed.
“You can sleep here.”
Ethan looked suspiciously grateful.
Arthur sat in the doorway.
“I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Some of the things Vanessa said I wanted…”
He swallowed.
“I never said them.”
Ethan’s face relaxed slightly.
Arthur continued:
“But I think there are things I did say that she used.”
The relief disappeared.
“What things?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Ethan looked away.
Arthur understood.
May you like
His son was not waiting to find out whether Vanessa had lied.
He was waiting to find out how much she hadn’t.
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