It should have.
Or give up.
Martha raises her eyes.
I tried it.
- When?
Emma was intervening:
That’s why we wanted to tell you.
I turned to her.
- What?
Martha opened the drawer next to her.
Take out a pack of cigarettes.
Then another one.
The first was almost empty.
The second was sealed.
On the back of the first were drawn lines with the pen.
Data.
The Numbers.
- What am I?
“How many cigarettes do I smoke a day,” Martha replied.
I looked more closely.
Fifteen.
Thirteen.
- Eleven.
Ten.
Eight. Eight.
Six.
The number is decreasing.
“Grandma is trying to quit,” Jack said.
“We help her,” Emma added.
I felt a new unease.
How do you help her?
“We’re just keeping them company,” Emma said. When he wants to smoke, we ask him for a story instead.
Martha smiled sadly.
They invented the system.
I immediately looked at the kids.
