Chapter 4 - The Notebook Claire Left Behind
Three days later, Roman opened Claire’s notebook.
Eli sat opposite him.
“You sure?” Roman asked.
“She left it for both of us.”
The first pages contained sketches.
Cabin Twelve.
The lake.
A porch.
Roman recognized a drawing of himself asleep in a chair.
“That’s terrible.”
Eli leaned over.
“That’s you?”
“Apparently.”
“You had longer hair.”
“It was a mistake.”
Eli laughed.
Roman turned another page.
The sketches changed.
A baby’s hand.
A hospital bracelet.
Then a tiny sleeping face.
Roman stopped.
Beneath it Claire had written:
Eli — six days old. He has Roman’s eyes.
Roman touched the page.
Eli watched him.
“You okay?”
“No.”
Roman swallowed.
“But keep going.”
There were birthday notes.
Eli’s first steps.
His first word.
His first day of school.
Roman had missed all of it.
Then he found a photograph tucked between two pages.
Claire holding three-year-old Eli beside a birthday cake.
Roman stared at it for a long time.
“I should’ve been there.”
Eli didn’t answer.
“I should have known.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
Roman looked up.
“Your mother was scared.”
“I know.”
“Are you angry with her?”
Eli shrugged.
“Sometimes.”
“That’s allowed.”
“She was sick and didn’t tell me how bad it was.”
Roman nodded.
“She was trying to protect you.”
“Everyone keeps protecting me by not telling me things.”
Roman froze.
The words landed harder than any accusation.
“Then we’ll do something different.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Even if it’s bad?”
“Especially then.”
Eli considered it.
“Okay.”
Roman turned another page.
A folded document fell out.
It was a drawing.
A house beside a lake.
Two figures stood on the porch.
Claire.
And Roman.
Between them was a small boy.
Roman looked at Eli.
“Did you draw this?”
Eli shook his head.
“Mom did.”
At the bottom Claire had written:
Maybe in another life.
Roman stared at those four words.
Then he closed the notebook.
“No.”
Eli frowned.
“No what?”
“Not another life.”
May you like
Roman picked up the brass key.
“This one.”
