Page 182 of In the Air Tonight

Bridget was able to plead Sienna’s assault charge down to a misdemeanor. She had to pay a thousand-dollar fine and was ordered to perform a hundred hours of community service.

We moved right after she completed her sentence.

I’ll be honest. I thought about divorcing her after her performance in court, but in the end, I decided to stay with her for the sake of our kids. Our marriage is a work in progress. We have good days and not-so-good days, but we’re sticking it out asa family in this new life we’re making for ourselves far from the only home we’ve ever known.

I got licensed to practice law in Florida and landed a job that pays the bills. It’s nowhere near what I made in Rhode Island, but I’m hoping I can find something better after I get some time on the job at this firm.

Every day that goes by here without our past coming back to haunt us is a blessing. That wouldn’t have been possible at home where everyone knew what my brother, father and wife had done.

“How’s the tea, Mom?”

“It’s perfect, honey. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Mom suffers from melancholy that’s new since that terrible autumn, but being with my kids helps. She loves to walk them to and from the bus stop, and it’s helpful to have her here to watch them any time we get the chance to go out, which isn’t often.

It’s odd to live such a solitary life when we’re used to being surrounded by lifelong friends. If I’m ever lucky enough to have that kind of community around me again, I’ll never take it for granted the way I used to before everything went to shit.

My phone rings with a call from the prison in Cranston, Rhode Island.

I accept the charges.

“Hey,” Ryder says. “Thanks for taking the call.”

I didn’t take calls from him for a year after that day in court. My mother asked me to talk to him for her sake, so eventually I did.

“What’s up? Isn’t it visiting day?”

“The kids were here. They just left.”

“How’re they doing?”

“They’re great. It amazes me how unfazed they are by coming to see me here.”

“Hopefully they won’t remember much about this time in their lives.”

“They told me Caroline is seeing Houston.”

“Oh. Really?”

“Yeah, the kids said something about him building them a new swing set and how he’s Mommy’s special friend.”

“That must’ve been hard to hear.”

“I guess it was bound to happen eventually. Just didn’t picture her with my friend.”

“It’s not like he was a close friend, and she didn’t know him at all through you.”

“Still. It sucks. I know it would be a huge longshot, but I was sort of still hoping we might put things back together after this…”

“That’s not going to happen, Ry. With or without Houston in the picture.”

“Like I said, it was a longshot.”

“What matters is you still have your kids in your life.”

“I know. How are you guys?”

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