I set down the plates I was holding. “I’m sorry?”
“Since you left your job. He said it’s been a tough market.”
I did not know what to say. I said something that was not quite a denial and not quite a confirmation. I said something like “the transition has had its moments” and then one of the kids came in and the moment passed, and I went home that night and asked Daniel what he had told his mother.
He said he may have mentioned that I was “figuring things out.” He said his family was old-fashioned and he didn’t think they’d understand the consultant thing. He said he’d clarify.
He did not clarify.
The second piece: six weeks later, Beth texted me out of nowhere to ask if I had looked into bookkeeping certificate programs. Her friend had done one and was making good money. I read the text three times. Then I thanked her for thinking of me and said I was okay but would keep it in mind.
I asked Daniel about this one too. He said Beth must have misunderstood something. He said he’d talk to her.
He did not talk to her.
The third piece: a conversation I was not meant to hear, at Christmas, between Daniel and his uncle Richard. I was in the hallway outside the living room getting my coat, and I heard Daniel say, in the particular voice people use when they want to sound matter-of-fact: “Rachel’s been home since she left Forrest. She’s doing some stuff here and there but nothing steady. It’s fine, we’re managing on mine.”