support while he was in high school. Once he turned eighteen, I no longer had any obligation to support him, but I continued with my monthly amount until he graduated.”
“What about college?”
“Lisa paid for that. At least I assume she did. Neither one of them asked me for anything.”
Easy enough for me to deduce how he paid for it. His Future Lawmakers earnings. Same for law school.
“It doesn’t seem like Larry needs your financial support,” I said.
“He’s still my son.”
“You seem to be forgetting that I know Larry. He and I were friends all through high school. He came to my wedding more for me than for the half sister he barely knows.”
“I’m aware you were friends in high school.”
“Are you aware that he and I were in business together at one time?”
“He may have mentioned something about some kind of high school business, yes.”
“Have you met his fiancée, Greta?”
“I haven’t. I’d like to have a better relationship with Larry, but because things are so strained between Lisa and me, it’s not always easy.”
“Larry has been a legal adult for four years now. What does it matter whether the relationship between you and his mother is strained?”
Jonathan shifted in his chair. “Brad, is there a point to this interrogation? I understand you and Larry were friends. Maybe you still are. You should care what happens to him.”
“I do care about Larry. I just don’t quite understand what you feel your obligation is to him. With all due respect, Jonathan, you basically pawned your daughter off on me.”
Jonathan opened his mouth to respond, but I gestured him to stay quiet.
“Don’t take that the wrong way,” I said. “I am happy beyond measure with Daphne and our life together, and I will see to all her needs as long as I live. My point is only that you seemed happy and relieved to have me take over. Yet you sit here and tell me you still need to take care of Larry, your son, who is older than your daughter, is putting himself through law school, and is engaged to be married.”
“I told you. He’s had some mental issues of his own.”
“Anything like Daphne’s mental issues?”
Jonathan shook his head. “No.” But he didn’t meet my gaze.
“It’s time to level with me,” I said. “Larry and I are friends. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’ve told you all I can. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask Larry himself.”
“All right. I’ll do that. Besides Larry, is there anyone else you’re protecting?”
He looked down again. His classic tell. He was about to lie to me.
“No,” he said.
I was about to give up on this conversation when I remembered something.
“You once told me that Daphne kept a journal during her hospitalization.”
He didn’t respond. Had that been another lie?
“You also told me you hadn’t read the journal, that you hadn’t been able to bring yourself to read it. I accepted that at the time, but now, I have to tell you it disturbs me. If you truly wanted to protect Daphne, why didn’t you read the journal?”
“Journals are private.”
“True. I won’t argue the point. But here’s what I think, Jonathan. I think one of two things happened. Either you did read the journal, and you don’t want to tell me what was in it, or there is no journal at all.”
He sighed—a heavy, exhausted sigh. Then he slowly opened a desk drawer and pulled something out.
“Here.” He pushed a spiral notebook across the desk to me. “Daphne’s journal.”
I didn’t take the notebook. Not at first. I simply stared at it. The vibrant pink cover was worn, and someone—presumably Daphne—had doodled ink drawings all over it. Mostly flowers.
“I was telling the truth when I said I didn’t read it,” Jonathan said. “I just… I just didn’t want to know.”
“Sometimes knowledge is our best defense, Jonathan.” I picked up the journal.
“And sometimes, Brad,” he said, his voice serious, “ignorance is bliss.”
Something clicked then—a fundamental difference between Jonathan and me. He would avoid where I would attack.
He loved his daughter. Of that, I had no doubt. I also had no doubt that he loved Larry, his son.
He was also hiding something about Larry. Something that had taken its toll on him as a father, so much so that when his daughter went down a similar path, he had a hard time going back to that place.
What had happened to Larry? What was Jonathan hiding?
I didn’t open the journal, but I took it with me when I left