“Then tell me what happened.”
He stared toward the window.
After a long pause, he said, “I thought it was easier to laugh than to tell her she’d gone too far.”
I nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
He looked miserable.
I continued.
“Daniel, you’ve been asking me to make things easier for you since you were young. Sometimes I was happy to help. Sometimes I helped when I probably shouldn’t have.”
He looked toward the photograph of Richard.
“I know.”
“When you lost your first job, I paid your expenses while you searched for another. When you and your first wife separated, I gave you a place to live. When you wanted this wedding, I agreed to cover a reception that was beyond what you could comfortably afford.”
His eyes filled.
“I know, Mom.”
“I don’t regret loving you. But I do regret how often I stepped in before you had to solve a problem yourself.”
Daniel looked at his hands.
Then he said, “Vanessa thinks you’ve always tried to control me with money.”
I felt the sting.
“Have I?”
He looked up quickly.
“No. I don’t think so.”
“Then why does she?”
“Because I told her you helped me whenever things went wrong. I think she assumed you expected something in return.”
“What did I ask for?”
He swallowed.
“You wanted the mother-son dance.”
I stared at him.
“Daniel, I wanted to dance with you for three minutes at your wedding. That’s not a demand for repayment.”
He wiped his eyes.
“I know.”
“Did you want that dance?”
