THE MAN’S SHIRT ON MY LAUNDRY TABLE, THE SECRET MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW COULDN’T EXPLAIN, AND THE CONVERSATION MY SON HAD BEEN AVOIDING FOR MONTHS
A man’s shirt.
It was pale blue, made of a soft cotton that had been washed enough times to lose its original stiffness. The collar was slightly frayed, and one of the cuffs had a small brown stain near the button. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, except that I had never seen my son wear it, and it was several sizes too large for him.
Beside it lay two more unfamiliar items: a dark gray sweatshirt with a construction company’s name embroidered across the chest and a pair of heavy work socks. I had found all three mixed among Sabrina’s clothes, along with a folded receipt that had slipped from the sweatshirt pocket. I hadn’t gone looking for anything personal, but once the receipt fell onto the floor, I couldn’t very well pretend I hadn’t seen it.
Sabrina looked from the table to my face, then back to the shirt.
“Why are those things sitting out like that?” she demanded.
“Because they were in the laundry you brought me,” I answered. “I sorted everything by person, the way I always do. Those didn’t seem to belong to anyone in this family, so I put them aside.”
Derek stepped closer to the table. He picked up the sweatshirt and turned it around, studying the lettering across the chest. His expression changed so slightly that I might have missed it if I hadn’t spent forty-three years watching that boy’s face.
“Where did this come from?” he asked.
Sabrina folded her arms. “I don’t know. Probably something that got mixed up at the gym.”
Derek looked at her. “You haven’t had a gym membership since January.”
“Then maybe it’s something from the kids’ school. I don’t know, Derek. Why are you making such a big deal out of somebody’s sweatshirt?”
He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he set the sweatshirt down and picked up the blue shirt, holding it by the shoulders. I could see him examining the collar, the sleeves, and finally the small white label sewn into the back.
“Mom,” he said quietly, “did you find anything else?”
