He stepped back into the hall and knocked twice on the frame.
I knocked back. Claire didn’t.
The front door clicked shut.
***
Sophie’s first family photo shoot was that month. Jamie showed up in a blue shirt. It was the last one Mom ever bought him.
We took the first pictures all together.
Then Claire turned to the photographer.
“Can we get one with just the immediate family?”
Jamie blinked.
We took the first pictures all together.
“I am immediate family.”
Claire sighed.
“Jamie, please. I just want one normal picture.”
Jamie didn’t argue. He stepped out of the frame and stood by the wall.
After that, he stopped asking to hold Sophie.
“I just want one normal picture.”
He still came over. He talked to her from across the room. He waved at her like she was a neighbor.
But he never reached for her again.
