Beth waited.
“And he was wonderful at his job,” Janet continued. “But I missed the ordinary man. The one who burned breakfast, forgot what he went grocery shopping for, and left his shoes wherever he happened to take them off.”
She gave a small, painful laugh.
“Everyone had these beautiful stories about him. I couldn’t even walk into our bedroom without crying.”
Beth’s eyes filled again.
“Is that why you took down his pictures?”
Janet nodded.
“At first, I only put away the ones in our bedroom. Then the hallway. Every picture reminded me he wasn’t coming back.”
She looked at her daughter.
“And every time you saw one, you got quiet. I thought taking them away would help.”
Beth shook her head.
“Mom, I got quiet because you always started crying.”
Janet stared at her.
“I thought you were getting better,” she whispered.
