Chapter 16 - LEARNING TO BE A FAMILY
Life at the lake house was strange at first.
Lorenzo didn't know how to make pancakes.
I didn't know how to tell him he was holding the spatula upside down.
Lena laughed at both of us.
One morning, she asked:
“Daddy, can you do my hair?”
Lorenzo stared at her.
“I've never done hair.”
“Mommy taught you.”
“No.”
She handed him a brush.
“Learn.”
I had to turn away so he wouldn't see me laughing.
Ten minutes later, Lena emerged with something resembling a bird's nest.
She loved it.
“It looks pretty!”
Lorenzo looked relieved.
“Thank God.”
Later, I helped him fix it.
He watched quietly.
“You've been doing everything alone.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Since she was born.”
His expression softened.
“You shouldn't have had to.”
I looked at him.
“You shouldn't have missed her childhood.”
We both fell silent.
There were too many lost years to recover.
May you like
So we stopped counting them.
We started creating new ones.
