Chapter 4: Saturday Again

On Saturday he was at the carousel at ten forty, in a clean shirt, with a hospital smell still on his hands.

Junie ran across the grass in her paper crown, which she had insisted on wearing again.

"Daddy! You came!"

He caught her and lifted her over his shoulder, and she screamed with joy.

For a moment I let myself look at the two of them.

The lake behind them was flat and silver.

My sister stood at my elbow with a thermos and said, "He's on time."

"Barely."

"Barely is more than Friday."

Roderick set Junie down and came to me with a paper bag.

"Cinnamon almonds," he said. "From the cart. You said you wanted them last month."

"It's two months ago."

"I wrote it down."

He held up his phone and showed me the note.

I took the bag, because I wanted to, and that annoyed me.

The carousel horses went up and down, painted red and gold.

He bought a long strip of tickets and rode beside Junie on the horse next to hers, holding her waist with one arm.

I sat on the bench with my feet up and watched them go around.

Every time they passed me she shouted, "Mommy, look!" and I shouted back that I was looking.

On the third lap he caught my eye, and mouthed, "I'm here."

I almost believed him.

When the ride stopped, Junie wanted to go again, and then a third time.

My sister bought her a blue snow cone that turned her whole mouth blue.

Roderick knelt in the grass and let her draw on his wrist with a marker.

Keep reading free with an account. Start He Missed Our Daughter's Birthday Again from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.