“Not yet, sweetie,” I said, slipping the yellow trunks into the side pocket of my backpack. “We have to say hello to Grandma first.”
The fire pit was fifty yards away, tucked into a circular clearing where the trees grew so close they blocked the afternoon sun. My mother, Patricia Vance, sat in a green nylon camp chair, her back perfectly straight. She was sixty-five, but she held her chin with the rigid authority of an active drill instructor. Her left hand lay in her lap, her thumb slowly rolling her silver wedding band around her ring finger.
A silver whistling kettle sat on the metal grate over the low fire, though it was not yet hot enough to steam. Beside her, a thermos of cold black coffee sat in the dirt, its plastic cup missing.
“You have let him develop a lateral lean when he walks,” Patricia said, her eyes fixed on Noah as he chased a beetle near the woodpile.
“He has a slight pronation,” I said, my voice rising slightly. “It is a common developmental variant. It will resolve without intervention.”
I rubbed my temple with two fingers, a gesture I recognized as my own defense mechanism against her clinical evaluations of my failures.
“It looks sloppy,” Patricia said, her tone clipped and dry. “A child reflects the discipline of the home. Or the lack thereof.”
I took a breath, preparing to explain the biomechanics of a child’s gait, but Thomas stepped between us. He held out his hands, his movements deliberate.
“We have hot water for tea, Patricia,” Thomas said, adjusting his glasses. “The site is well-aligned for a breeze. We should enjoy the afternoon.”
Patricia did not look at him. Her eyes remained on Noah, who was now holding the green plastic Tyrannosaurus up to the light.
“He is too soft,” Patricia said. “You protect him from everything, Amanda. Just like you tried to protect your own career when you ran to the medical board.”
“That was a matter of professional ethics,” I said.
“It was a betrayal,” Patricia said, her thumb spinning the silver band faster. “Your sister’s family suffered because you wanted to prove you were the smartest person in the room.”
