The rest of the evening passed in a strange sort of suspended animation. Father bustled around the house, distributing his mysterious bounty with the manic energy of someone trying to distract himself from his own thoughts. Jamie threw himself into the excitement with the wholehearted enthusiasm only children could manage, exclaiming over sweets and new toys as if Christmas had arrived early.
Mother accepted the gifts with gracious efficiency, but I caught her watching Father with the same careful attention I'd been giving him. We were both waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the truth to emerge from whatever web of half-lies and careful omissions he'd woven around his windfall.
I tried to participate in the artificial cheer, tried to smile at Jamie's delight and express appropriate
