She had wanted a tattoo to remind her of David every time she looked at it. So she had his birth date etched on the underside of her wrist. And every day when she saw it and every night as she hit the pillow, she remembered her prayer in the hospital for God to take care of him. But instead of bringing her comfort, the date on her wrist added to the guilt and the shame of the secret she and Brian had kept.

The server carefully placed the lone pancake in a Styrofoam box, and Melissa tried to get home without jostling it too much. When they pulled into the driveway of the little house she rented, Brian’s car was parked on the street in front.

Melissa unbuckled Courtney and took her inside. Brian came to the door with a package.

“I know I’m getting her on the weekend, but I wanted her to have this today,” he said.

Melissa gave him a hard stare, then glanced at Brian’s car. His new wife was sitting in the front, window rolled up. There was so much pain and distance between them. “This is not the agreement we had.”

“I know, but like I said, I just wanted her to have this today and not wait until Saturday.”

“Make it quick,” Melissa said.

She followed him into the house. Courtney was at the kitchen table trying to get the Styrofoam box open. She had turned it over and Melissa could only imagine what the whipped cream looked like.

“Spider monkey, look who’s here with a present.”

Courtney turned and smiled. “Daddy!”

She toddled over to Brian, who hugged her and got down on his knees and handed her the brightly wrapped package. From the looks of it and what she knew about Brian, she figured his wife had wrapped it.

Melissa glanced out the front window. “You want her to come in from the car?”

“No, she’s good.”

Beneath the wrapping paper was a doll tightly held in a box by twist ties. Courtney tried to open it and Brian took over, unwinding the ties and finally releasing the doll from its cardboard prison. Courtney squealed and ran down the hallway to her room.

“She likes it,” Brian said, watching her go.

“Yeah, you can’t lose with a doll as far as Courtney goes.”

Brian stood and headed for the door. “I’ll be here Saturday morning to pick her up.”

“I’ll have her ready,” Melissa said.

Brian opened the door and Melissa couldn’t resist saying what was on her mind.

“Does she know?”

Brian turned. “Does who know what?”

Melissa nodded toward the car outside. “Have you told her about our son?”

Brian looked at her with squinted eyes, mouth agape. “What? Why are you bringing that up? That’s over, Melissa. It’s done.”

“Not for me,” Melissa said.