“They got married right after you did,” I said. “Isn’t that right?”

She nodded. “We were both in our twenties, but Fee seemed so young to me. She looked like a girl playing house when she walked down the aisle.”

I’d seen Felicia and Brett’s wedding picture, and now my brain dragged the image to the forefront of my mind. They’d looked like gussied-up teenagers to me, too.

“He was your typical charming rogue,” said Mom. “I didn’t approve, not in the least. I should have objected more than I did.”

“Why didn’t you?” I asked.

Her sigh was resigned, and a little shamefaced. “Frankly, I couldn’t wait to leave home. Watching out for Fee was draining, and I’d been doing it ever since she was little.”

This was a story I knew well. Felicia was a worrier, only hers weren’t the niggling doubts the rest of us have learned to brush off but enormous fears that opened their gaping maws to swallow her whole. My grandparents tried everything from cognitive behavioral therapy to biofeedback, yoga, and deep breathing to get her emotions under control. Nothing worked.

“I thought it would be good for her, being on her own without me tending to her every need. I hoped it would desensitize her, you know? The year after your father and I were married, she was as bad as ever. Then she met Brett.”

“I liked him, at first.” Dad gave an unapologetic shrug. “Very sociable fellow. I thought he provided a nice counterbalance to Felicia’s mercurial moods. Always good for a laugh, he was.”

“That’s what Fee liked about him, too,” Mom said with a small frown. “He was always so positive, and he honestly thought he could singlehandedly conquer her disorder. I don’t doubt that his intentions were good. Trouble was, he didn’t follow through. Fee got pregnant with Crissy so quickly, and her condition got worse. Brett couldn’t handle it. The more needy she got, the more disconnected he became. It was clear he missed the simple bachelor life he’d left behind. The situation didn’t improve as Crissy got older. You know what that child was like.”

Dad chuckled. “Whorls of golden hair and petulance to spare. Got that from her father, she did.”

“As if Fee didn’t have enough to contend with,” Mom said.

“How’s she doing?” I asked. “I know Felicia hadn’t seen Brett in a long time, but this has to come as a shock.”

My parents exchanged a look. “She’s hanging in,” said my mother. “A few years ago something like this would have crushed her, but she’s healthier now, more in control. I left a message for Crissy yesterday. She hasn’t returned my call.”

“Brett’s been out of their lives a long time, but they did love him once,” said Dad.

As I reached for the newspaper and refolded it, watching the seam cut through the center of Brett’s beaming face, I absorbed my parents’ demeanor all over again. They looked depleted, utterly drained of life. Brett had his shortcomings, but he’d been a lot of things to a lot of people, including a brother-in-law to my mom and dad. We’d lost a member of the family in the most godless of ways. The whole town was talking about it. Doing the same thing now wasn’t doing us any favors.