“Dad, is it okay to ask God to forgive Danny for what he did?”

“Sure it is, son. We know that with God all things are possible, and Jesus died for all of our sins, so we can all be forgiven.” He sounded to himself a little like a preacher reciting something of which he was trying to convince himself.

“Okay, then … God, I know Danny did a really bad thing today, and I don’t know why he did it, but I hope that when he tells you he’s sorry, you will forgive him and let him go to heaven. Amen.”

Mitch averted his eyes while he pulled the covers around Frankie and kissed him on the forehead.

While Carolyn and Mitch dressed for bed, they made small talk about how exhausted they were and tried to feign a conversation that was in the realm of normal, reaching for any topic other than the black cloud that had descended upon their home that day. Both in their private thoughts were grateful this horrible day was finally coming to an end, but dreaded the night and what lay ahead in the days to come.

They settled their heads on their pillows, but through the silent language of old friends, agreed they were not yet ready to turn out the light. Sleep was not likely to come to either of them, despite the fact they were entirely spent, so they lay there for several minutes, simply holding hands, staring at the ceiling, and waiting for the pain to subside. But it didn’t.

Just as Mitch reached over to turn out the light, he noticed Luke standing at the door. His two younger brothers then appeared behind him and they stood in a cluster. Each clutched his respective pillow, blanket, and favorite stuffed animal. With the innocence, honesty, and wisdom that only children possess, they had devised the best and perhaps only plan that would allow their family to navigate the darkness and safely arrive at daybreak.

The oldest brother, Luke, spoke for all three: “Mom, Dad, can we sleep in here with you tonight?”

CHAPTER 8

Reality

Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver.
—Sophocles

MITCH DIDN’T MAKE it to daybreak. He awoke a little before five, while it was still dark outside. Once the ugly reality settled in, he knew sleep was out the question. He silently grabbed his sweats, stepped over the boys, and crept down to the kitchen. Sleep, blessed sleep, was a gift on this day, so the last thing he wanted to do was to wake anyone prematurely. He was grateful for the rest he did get, because he expected the day ahead would be emotionally grueling. In this instance, ignorance was bliss. Mitch didn’t know how right he was about the day to come, nor did he realize that the reality of yesterday’s events was far worse than had yet been revealed.