That evening, Daniel called his mother.
“Come over.”
Diane arrived looking exhausted.
Her expression changed immediately.
I put my phone on the table.
“I spoke to Carol.”
Her expression changed immediately.
Daniel saw it.
“Mom, what did you do?”
“You were trying to give away our daughter?”
Diane sat down.
“I was trying to prepare options.”
“Options for what?”
“For when this became too much.”
I stared at her.
“You were trying to give away our daughter?”
“And then you started waking Brenda every night.”
“No.”
“You asked another family whether they’d raise her.”
“I asked a question.”
“And then you started waking Brenda every night.”
Diane’s voice rose.
“Because neither of you was being realistic!”
“You already have Ben. He had seven years with you.”
Daniel slammed his hand on the table.
“Realistic about what?”
“Your life!”
She pointed upstairs.
“You already have Ben. He had seven years with you. Now everything revolves around appointments, specialists, therapy—”
