Chapter 14 - The Inhaler on the Shelf
Five years passed.
Oliver turned eight.
His asthma improved dramatically.
One afternoon, he came home from school and placed his inhaler pouch on the kitchen counter.
Maya immediately said:
“Put that where we know it is.”
Oliver rolled his eyes.
“Mom.”
Ryan smiled.
Normal parenting.
Beautifully annoying.
Oliver knew a simplified version of what happened when he was three.
Grandma Evelyn had made dangerous choices.
She wasn't allowed near him.
As he grew older, they would tell him more.
Truth in age-appropriate pieces.
Not secrets.
Ryan refused to build another generation on secrets.
Rebecca visited often.
She never became the aunt she might have been before everything.
She became something better.
Honest.
At dinner one night, Oliver asked:
“Why don't we have a big family like my friends?”
Ryan looked at Maya.
Then answered:
“We do.”
Oliver counted.
“It's mostly friends.”
“Exactly.”
Oliver considered that.
“Can friends be family?”
May you like
Maya smiled.
“The best ones usually are.”
