You see, Danny is silent at the age of five. As his grandma, I can sense that Danny is odd, even if the physicians claim that his delayed growth is a straightforward issue. It’s simply… different, not broken or incorrect.
I survey the living room, which has been lavishly furnished for Danny’s fifth birthday. In spite of everything, Danny is seated near the window in his normal position, running his fingers along the carpet’s lines.
I can’t resist grinning. Danny lives in his own universe like that.
The cake has my daughter Louise worrying over it. She’s been acting more aloof lately, although she looks good as a mother. Albert, her husband, is likely responding to work emails on his phone in the corner.
Albert adores his family. I am aware of that, but when you are overburdened, love may not be enough.
I watch Danny as I take a sip of my tea. I’m going to turn away when he gets up and comes charging at me. For the first time in his five years of existence, Danny raises his eyes to meet mine as his tiny fists grip the sides of my chair.
“Grandma,” he murmurs. My heart stops. “I need to tell you something about Mommy.”
There is silence in the room. Everybody looks around. Louise drops the knife she was using to cut the cake, looking as pale as a sheet. No one gets up to pick it up, but it clatters to the ground.
Despite my shaking hands, I grin down at him. “What is it, my love? Do you need to tell me anything?
For a child his age, Danny’s voice is almost too quiet. “Mommy has a secret.”
Fear tightens Louise’s face as she takes a step forward. “Danny,” she stutters, “how about you go play with your toys? We’ll discuss this later.
However, Danny remains still. He never takes his eyes off mine. He says, “She’s not going to be around anymore,” in a tone that sounds as though he’s talking about the weather.
The room’s air becomes stuffy and frigid. My voice is no more than a whisper as I swallow hard. “What do you mean, Danny?”
He repeats himself while staring at me with a blank expression. “Mom is going out. She informed a phone caller.
The remarks were like a kick to the stomach. When Louise’s hands reach her mouth, Albert eventually looks up from his phone, his face contorted with perplexity.
“Danny, that’s enough!” Louise’s tone falters. I stop her in her tracks by holding up a hand as she approaches him.
“No, let him finish.” I’m disintegrating on the inside, yet my voice is solid.
Danny blinks, oblivious to the mayhem he has created. “I heard her tell the man on the phone,” he continues. She said that something was wrong with me and that she no longer loved Daddy. She expressed her desire to flee from us both.
Louise breaks down where she is standing and sobs. Still in disbelief, Albert looks at her as though he’s never seen her before. The once-jolly decorations are now making fun of us with their fake enthusiasm, and the room is spinning.
Albert’s expression is one of incredulity, but the pain is beginning to show. He trembles and asks, “Louise,” “is this true?”
With tears running down her cheeks, Louise shakes her head. “No, Albert, it’s not like that. He’s not getting it. He must have heard something wrong.
She stammers out what she’s saying and reaches for him, but Albert steps back and narrows his eyes.
“Misheard?” His voice echoes off the walls as it increases. “You told someone on the phone that you no longer loved me,” he said. that you desired to flee from us! Louise, how can you mishear something like that?
“I was upset,” she says haltingly. “Albert, I said things I didn’t mean. I felt lost since you’ve been so aloof.”
Standing next to me, Danny observes his parents with the same cool detachment as though he didn’t drop the bomb that is now shattering them.
I am at my breaking point. I embrace Danny tightly as I draw him into my arms.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. I mumble, “It’s okay,” even though I have no idea why.
Albert turns to Louise and speaks in a chilly, quiet voice. “Louise, who was the man? To whom were you speaking?
Her lips opens to speak, but nothing comes out. It’s clear from her quiet.
As the reality dawns on him, he nods slowly. “So, it’s accurate. You’re heading out. You no longer love me.
With sobs trembling through her body, Louise falls onto a chair. Her words, “I don’t know what I’m doing,” are sobbing. “Albert, I’m lost. I no longer know who I am.
Tension permeates the room, and each breath is labored. I know Danny is taking in everything I say, but I keep him close to protect him from the worst. No one has ever realized how observant he has always been.
Although Albert’s voice is softer now, the pain is still there. He asks, “And what about Danny?” “Were you also planning to leave him? You mentioned that there was a problem with him.
Louise trembles as she holds the edge of the table and shakes her head furiously. “No, no, that’s not how I meant it. Albert, I adore him. But it’s really difficult. He never looks at me, he never speaks, and occasionally I’m not sure how to get in touch with him. I feel as though I am failing him.
Her honest and unvarnished confession lingers in the air. There is silence for a moment.
As Albert gazes at her, his rage gradually gives way to something more depressing and shattered.
I whisper, “I’m going to take Danny upstairs,” with the understanding that they must have this discussion in private.
As I lead Danny to the stairs, he doesn’t object. His small hand slides into mine as he walks calmly next to me.
The days following Danny’s birthday are like a storm’s aftermath. Nothing feels the same, and the weight of everything stated weighs heavily on the air.
When Danny is asleep, Louise tries to explain things to me. She tells me that she has been feeling stuck for years and that she never intended to become a mother but did so because Albert requested it.
One night, in a low voice, she admits, “I don’t know how to be Danny’s mother.” “Mom, I tried. Yes, I have. However, I simply I’m not feeling it.
I’m at a loss for words. When your daughter informs you that she is failing her child, how do you console her? How can you overlook her want to flee? I am unable to. Not quite yet. Perhaps never.
Conversely, Albert has acted quickly. His heart is too hurt to even attempt to patch up the rift between them, therefore he has filed for divorce. One evening, after Danny has gone to sleep, I sit with him, and the silence between us is oppressive.
He says, “I don’t know what to do, Brenda,” in a voice that is rough from fatigue. “I believed that I knew her. I believed that we were all on the same page. However, I have no idea who she is now.
I grab his hand and give it a light squeeze. “Albert, you did nothing wrong. People just… drift apart sometimes. And occasionally they shatter. I swallow, searching for the correct words. “But Danny is still with you. He also needs you. More than before.
Albert nods, but his gaze is distant. His words, “He’s been talking more,” come out of nowhere. “Occasionally, but not very often. He seemed to have been waiting for something.
I take a moment to process what he said. “Maybe he was.”
The divorce was finalized several months ago. Though his words are still sparse, Danny has begun to talk more frequently. Before expressing his thoughts, he would rather watch and absorb everything.
I know better than to push him. When he’s ready, he will speak.
His little body curls up in the sheets as I tuck him into bed one evening.
He says, “Grandma,” in a quiet voice that still has that serene quality that occasionally makes me uneasy. “Do you know why I didn’t talk for so long?”
Startled by the question, I blink. “Why, baby?”
He picks at the corner of his blanket as he glances down. “I was waiting for the right time.”
My heart tightens. “The right time for what?”
Simply put, “To tell the truth,” he says.
My thoughts are racing as I sit there and stare at him. Even though he is just five, I sometimes think he sees more than the rest of us put together.
I bend over and plant a kiss on his forehead. “Thank you for telling me the truth, Danny.”
He turns over in bed, preparing to fall asleep, but says nothing more. I watch him for a long time after that. I see now that his stillness is not a hardship. He is strong at it. His perspective on the world. In a sense, it has also helped us all get closer to the truth.
