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They rode their bikes and went to the movies, and when Katie
wasn’t working evenings, Alex liked to fire up the grill. The kids
would eat and then swim in the creek until it was almost dark.
After they’d showered and gone to bed, Alex would sit with Katie
on the small dock out back, their legs dangling over the water,
while the moon slowly traversed the sky. They sipped wine and
talked about nothing important, but Alex grew to savor those
quiet moments together.
Kristen particularly loved spending time with Katie. When the
four of them were walking together, Kristen often reached for
Katie’s hand; when she fell down in the playground, she’d begun
to run to Katie. While it warmed Alex’s heart to see those things,
he always felt a pang of sadness, too, because it reminded him
that he could never be everything that his daughter needed, no
matter how hard he tried. Still, when Kristen came running up to
him and asked if Katie could take her shopping, Alex couldn’t say
no. Though Alex made a point to take her shopping once or twice
a year, he tended to view it more as a parental duty than an
opportunity for fun. By contrast, Katie seemed delighted by the
idea. After giving Katie some money, Alex handed her the keys to
the jeep and waved from the parking lot as they left.
As happy as Katie’s presence had made Kristen, Josh’s feelings
weren’t quite as obvious. The day before, Alex had picked him up
from a friend’s swimming party, and he hadn’t said anything to
either Katie or Alex the rest of the evening. Earlier, at the beach,
he’d been subdued as well. Alex knew that something was
bothering him and suggested that they get out their fishing poles,
just as dusk was settling in. Shadows began to stretch across the
blackened water and the creek was still, a darkened mirror
reflecting the slowly drifting clouds.
They cast their lines for an hour while the sky turned violet, then
indigo, the lures making circular ripples as they splashed into the
water. Josh remained strangely quiet. At other times the tableau
might have seemed peaceful, but now Alex had the nagging