CHAPTER 18: 18. Brothers at the Museum
The three boys met at a science museum on a Saturday afternoon. Tessa came along, partly for support and partly because she loved the planetarium more than anyone I knew. Parker was shy at first. Then Jonah mentioned an exhibit on propulsion, and all three began talking at once. Miles teased Parker about his expensive blazer; Parker confessed he hated wearing it. By lunchtime, they were arguing about whether a proposed Mars mission should prioritize speed or safety. I watched them through the café window and felt a complicated joy. They had lost years that could not be returned, yet they had found one another while there was still time to build something new. Parker asked if he could attend one of Jonah’s robotics demonstrations. Jonah said yes. Miles invited him to their school’s math-night fundraiser, warning that the cookies were better than the equations. None of them mentioned Grant until the drive home. “Do you think Dad will be jealous?” Miles asked. “I don’t know,” I said. “But your relationship with Parker doesn’t have to be about him.” Jonah nodded. “Good. Because Parker’s actually funny.”
