Chapter Four

October 30, 1991

7:30 AM

Breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Amanda still believed that, but this particular morning she didn’t really feel like eating it. Last night had been horrible. She’d hardly slept a wink; each time she closed her eyes the fight and her call to Nedlinger’s replayed themselves in her mind.

It would have been comforting, Amanda thought, to know that Lee was feeling just as bad about the way things ended, but this morning Amanda had heard him whistling loudly in the shower. Thank goodness Lee hadn’t come downstairs yet. Amanda didn’t even know if she could bring herself to look at him, let alone think about what she would say.

“Mom,” Jamie said. He had already inhaled his cereal and was drinking the last of his orange juice. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, Jamie” Amanda insisted. “I’m just a little tired. It was a long day.”

Jamie looked skeptical. “Whatever you say.” He stood, grabbing his backpack from the hook by the door. “I have to go-I’m meeting Laurie before school. Love you.” He gave Amanda a quick kiss on the cheek.

“I love you too, sweetheart. Oh before I forget,” Amanda said. “Philip called yesterday-he’s coming home from Georgetown this weekend and he wanted to know if you would go to a Redskins game with him.”

“With wormbrain?” Jamie said teasingly. “You know the only reason he comes home is to get you to do his laundry, Mom.”

“Wormbain!” Jenna said, pausing in the middle of feeding herself Cheerios to grin at her older brother. Jamie laughed.

“That’s right, Jenna,” he said. “ Philip’s a wormbrain.”

“Pillips a wormbain,” Jenna repeated solemnly.

“Jamie,” Amanda said, her hand on her forehead, the beginnings of a headache starting to take shape. “Don’t call your brother a wormbain-I mean wormbrain-in front of your sister.”

“Okay, Mom,” Jamie said. “See you.” Then he was out the door.

Jenna resumed eating her cereal, carefully slurping all the milk in her spoon. “Sweetheart that’s really good,” Amanda said. “You’ve hardly got any on your bib at all.”

“That is really good.” Lee’s voice came from behind her. Startled, Amanda turned around to see him leaning against the kitchen door.

“Morning,” she said stiffly. “Let me get you some cereal.”

“Thanks, Amanda,” Lee said, walking over to where Jenna was sitting in her booster seat. “How’s my princess this morning?”

Jenna said nothing. Instead she put two chubby hands over her face and peered out through her fingers.

“Peek-a-boo, Jenna!” Lee said, sitting in the chair beside his daughter. “I see you!” But Jenna refused to respond and didn’t remove her hands from her face.

That was odd, Amanda thought, pouring some cereal and a little milk into a bowl . The two-year old usually only did that out of shyness when she was first introduced to strangers. Still Amanda knew from experience that the moods of a toddler could be as changeable as night and day. Pouring a glass of orange juice, she grabbed a spoon and sat everything on the table in front of her husband.

“Thank you, Amanda,” Lee said. “And listen, I’m really sorry about last night, okay? I should have called you. It was really inconsiderate.”

“Yes it was,” Amanda said. “But I don’t think this is the time and place to discuss it, Lee.” And definitely not the place to confront him with what she’d learned about Nedlinger’s, she silently added. Amanda took Jenna’s bib off and lifted her out of her booster seat. “I need to take Jenna to nursery school-you and I will talk later. Can you take care of the breakfast things?”

“Hey, it’s the least I can do,” Lee stood up and wrapped his arms around her. For one moment Amanda could make herself believe that last night hadn’t happened and everything really was back to normal. Her eyes closed as Lee leaned forward…

“No!” Jenna cried. “No, Mommy! No!” Her daughter’s voice was so frantic that Amanda’s eyes opened. For one brief moment she thought saw a flash of fury in Lee’s eyes as he looked at Jenna. Then it was gone and he was all smiles again.

“I think that the princess wants to go to nursery school,” Lee said.

“Not a pwincess, Mommy,” Jenna said, before Amanda gently shushed her, shifting Jenna to her other hip.

“I think you’re right,” Amanda said. “See you at work, then-don’t forget to pick Jenna up from school at two-thirty.”

“No problem,” Lee said. “I’ll pick up our costumes at the same time.”

“Costumes?” Amanda said blankly.

“For the masquerade ball, remember?” Lee said. “Patrov? The microdot? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, Amanda.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Amanda said, even though she actually had. With all that had happened yesterday evening the microdot and the masquerade ball had slipped her mind. Amanda sighed. That was yet another thing they still had to discuss-who was going to take Jenna trick or treating that night. Lee bent forward again, his lips brushing her cheek this time.

“I’ll be seeing you, Mrs. Stetson,” he said.