He unlocked the door.
The smell hit me immediately.
Sour laundry.
Old food.
Dust.
The entry table had a visible gray film across it. Shoes lay scattered around the hallway. In the kitchen, dishes were piled above the sink, food containers crowded the counters, and a stained towel lay crumpled on the floor.
I stopped.
For eight years, Patricia had inspected my house like a health inspector.
Yet she lived like this.
Nathan looked around quietly.
“It’s worse than I remembered.”
Then we reached her bedroom.
He switched on the light.
Patricia jolted awake.
“What are you doing here?”
Nathan lifted his phone.
Her eyes widened.
“Put that away!”
“Why?” he asked. “You thought taking pictures of Claire in bed was fine.”
“Nathan, that’s different.”
“Almost five in the morning, Mom. Claire is already awake and you’re still sleeping. Imagine what your Facebook friends would say.”
He never took the photograph.
He simply let her experience the fear of it.
Then he lowered his phone.