There were relapses.
There were evenings where Martha was coming out on the nervous porch and returning after ten minutes without smoking.
And there were days when he smoked.
But never in the house.
Never next to the kids.
As far as Emma and Jack was concerned, I had a different conversation.
Why didn’t you tell me about the project?
Emma’s looking at her brother.
“Because Grandma told us that some things are more special if they are secret.
Martha, who was sitting next to us, immediately intervened:
And here I was wrong.
The kids were looking at her.
Listen to me, he said. A surprise has a date when it’s over. A secret that makes you afraid that parents will be upset is something else. If ever an adult asks you to hide something from your mother or father and you feel anxious, you tell them.
I appreciated it coming from her.
