I hung up, then called the aftercare number Jyll kept saved in my phone.
“Aftercare,” a woman’s tired voice answered.
“This is Zach,” I said. “Did my wife pick up the twins today? Can you check the records?”
There was a pause.
“Can you check the records?”
“No, sir. Your wife called earlier and confirmed the babysitter. But… your mother came in yesterday.”
Advertisement
“My mother?”
“She asked about changing pickup permissions and wanted copies of records. We told her we can’t do that without a parent. It didn’t feel appropriate.”
I stared back down at Jyll’s note. Ask your mom.
“But… your mother came in yesterday.”
I stared at the words, reading them again and again as if more time would translate them into something else — something reversible. I didn’t have time to fall apart.
Advertisement
I just helped the girls into their jackets, grabbed their backpacks, and led them to the car.
“I can stay with the twins if you’d like?” Mikayla offered. “I can do bath time and order pizza or —”
“No, thank you, though, Mikayla. I need to talk to my mom, and I think the girls just need to be with me. Thank you for everything.”
I didn’t have time to fall apart.
The drive to my mother’s house was quiet. Lily hummed a few off-key notes before going silent, and Emma kept tapping her fingers against the window. I kept checking the rearview mirror.
Leave a Comment