I went to meet the bus.”

“I did not think a brief excursion required a formal announcement.”

I remembered Tuesday now: waiting, calling, then receiving a short message that Ethan was with him.

I had accepted the explanation because fathers collected children from school.

There had seemed no reason to make a quarrel out of it.

“He had a paper in his pocket,” I said.

“He is having some growing pains.

Let it go.”