The Bodies Left Behind

made a point of returning in time that evening to get to Joey’s pageant.
    Brynn called, “Mom, are you okay in there?”
    From the family room Anna said, “I’m fine. Joey, I wish I could come. But I’ll come to your party when school’s over. I’ll be fine by then. Who’re you playing?”
    “I’m this frontier scout. I lead people over the mountains.”
    “It’s not about the Donner party, is it?” Anna asked.
    “What’s that?” Joey wondered aloud. “Like the Democrats?”
    “In a way.”
    “Mother,” Brynn scoffed.
    Hobbling into the doorway Anna said, “Turn around. . . . My, look at that. You look like Alan Ladd.”
    “Who?”
    “A famous actor.”
    “Like Johnny Depp?” the boy asked.
    “Heaven help us.”
    Joey wrinkled his face. “I don’t want to put that makeup on. It’s all greasy.”
    Brynn said, “You have to wear it onstage. People can see you better. Besides, it makes you look so handsome.”
    He gave an exaggerated sigh.
    Anna said, “Honey, I think Graham might like to go.”
    “Yeah,” the boy said fast. “Mom, can he?”
    “I don’t know,” Brynn said uncertainly, angry that her mother had—tactically, it seemed—asked this in front of Joey.
    Her mother held her eye and gave her one of her patented ironclad smiles. “Oh, give him a call. What can it hurt?”
    Brynn didn’t know the answer to that. And therefore she didn’t want to ask him.
    “He’d like the show, Mom. Come on.”
    “It’s short notice.”
    “In which case he’ll say he has other plans, thank you very much for the invitation. Or he’ll say yes.”
    She glanced back. Anna had been supportive emotionally after the breakup, but hadn’t offered any opinion about it. Brynn assumed she was being her typical uninvolved self. But she wondered now if the pleasant smile—the smile of a spokeswoman for AARP on a television ad—hid a carefully planned strategy about her daughter’s life.
    “I’d rather not,” Brynn said evenly.
    “Ah.” The smile faltered.
    “Mom,” Joey said. He was angry.
    Her mother’s eyes slipped, for a split second, to her grandson. And she said nothing else.
    Joey muttered, “I don’t know why he moved out. All the way over to Hendricks Hills.”
    “How’d you know he was there?” Graham had just moved into a new rental yesterday.
    “He told me.”
    “You talked to him?”
    “He called.”
    “You didn’t tell me.”
    “He called me, ” the boy said defiantly. “To say hi, you know.”
    Brynn wasn’t sure how to react to this. “He didn’t leave a message?”
    “Naw.” He tugged at his costume. “Why’d he move there?”
    “It’s a nice neighborhood.”
    “I mean why’d he move at all?”
    “I told you. We had a different way of seeing things.”
    Joey didn’t know what that meant but neither did Brynn. “Well, can’t he come to the play?”
    “No, honey.” She smiled. “Not this time. Maybe later.”
    The boy walked to the window and gazed outside. He seemed disappointed. Brynn frowned. “What’s that?”
    “I thought maybe he was here.”
    “Why?”
    “You know, he comes by sometimes.”
    “He does? To see you?”
    “No. He just sits outside for a while then drives off. I saw him at school too. He was parked outside after class.”
    Brynn kept her voice steady as she asked, “You’re sure it was Graham?”
    “I guess. I couldn’t see him real good. He had sunglasses on. But it had to be him. Who else would it be?”
    Looking at her mother, who was clearly surprised at this news. “But it might not have been him.”
    Joey shrugged. “He had dark hair. And he was big like Graham.”
    “What kind of car was he in?”
    “I don’t know. Something kind of blue. Looked neat. Like a sports car. Dark blue. I couldn’t see too good. When he called he told me they never found his truck so he got a new one. I figured that was it. What’s wrong, Mom?”
    “Nothing.” She smiled.
    “Come on. Can’t you call him?”
    “Not today, honey. I’ll call him later.” Brynn scanned the empty road for a moment. Then turned and, smiling again—one of her mother’s stoic smiles—said, “Hey, Mom, you are looking better. Maybe you should come to the play after all.”
    Anna was going to scold—she’d been after Brynn to let her come to the play all along—but she caught on. “Love to.”
    Brynn continued, “We’ll go to T.G.I. Friday’s after. I’ll help you throw something on. I’ll be there in a minute.” She