“You didn’t take the bus?”

Ethan put the paper back in his pocket and glanced toward the hallway.

“He said it was a surprise.”

“We don’t need to keep something from each other if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“It’s not a secret.”

He said it firmly, but his hands were already back inside his sleeves.

I stopped asking.

He was seven, and I could see him trying to find an answer that would not disappoint either parent.