Part 2: "The Day My Son Came Home to an Empty House"
When we finished lunch, I drove my daughter-in-law back to my house instead of hers.
She looked at me nervously.
"I really should get back."
"You will," I said gently. "But not until tonight."
For the first time in years, she took a nap.
Not a quick doze in a rocking chair.
Not twenty minutes before someone cried.
She slept for nearly four hours.
When she finally woke up, she looked confused.
"I can't believe I slept that long."
"You needed months of sleep," I replied.
Meanwhile, my son was learning what his wife had been carrying every single day.
The babysitter I had hired left exactly at four o'clock.
At four-oh-five, my phone rang.
"Mom!"
I answered calmly.
"Yes?"
"Where's Emma?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"The babies won't stop crying! Lily says she has homework, Jacob spilled juice everywhere, the twins need diapers, and there's nothing ready for dinner!"
I waited.
Finally I asked, "Have you tried helping?"
Silence.
Then he muttered, "This is impossible."
"No," I corrected him softly. "It's Tuesday."
He hung up.
An hour later he called again.
His voice sounded completely different.
"I burned dinner."
"I know."
"The washing machine is making a weird noise."
"It always has."
"I can't get the twins to sleep."
"I know."
"They just keep wanting their mom."
I closed my eyes for a moment.
"So did you."
Another long silence.
When he finally spoke, his voice cracked.
"Has it really been like this every day?"
"Yes."
"And she's been doing it alone?"
"While you watched television."
He didn't answer.
That evening I drove Emma home.
The house looked like a tornado had passed through it.
Toys covered the floor.
Dirty dishes overflowed the sink.
Laundry was piled across the couch.
My son opened the door wearing spit-up on his shirt, mashed bananas on his jeans, and dark circles under his eyes.
For the first time in a very long time...
He looked exhausted.
Emma instinctively stepped inside, ready to start cleaning.
I gently touched her arm.
"No."
She stopped.
My son looked at us.
"I'll do it," he said quietly.
Then something happened I never expected.
He walked over to his wife, wrapped his arms around her, and broke down crying.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"I thought going to work was enough."
"I didn't see you."
"I didn't realize I was leaving you alone even while I was standing beside you."
Emma cried too.
But apologies, I knew, were only words.
May you like
Now came the harder part.
Change.
