He brought three copies of the same illustrated book so no one would fight over the cover.
The girls asked him questions about planes and his job, then became bored and wanted to draw.
He did not insist on hugs.He did not call himself Daddy.
When Rose showed him a lopsided picture of a whale, he asked what color it was supposed to be, and she replied, “A happy one.”
Afterward he sat on a bench outside looking bewildered.
“They barely noticed me.”
“They’re four,” I said.
“You aren’t a revelation to them.
You’re a new person.
Give them time.”He nodded.
I could tell that was harder for him than any board presentation.
PART 11: The Price of an Apology
Nathaniel came to my studio on a Tuesday, after I invited him to see some of the work that had filled my life since the divorce.
