along the banks of the Schuylkill River, had once been a neighborhood of factory workers. In recent years it had become a popular neighborhood for young people with more energy than money. Rob, a social worker, had bought this house with Lianna, his first wife. When their daughter, Molly, was eight years old, Lianna, who suffered from headaches, sought treatment from a highly recommended neurologist named Harris Janssen. At the time, Chloe was a receptionist in Dr Janssen’s practice. She watched the affair unfold, and ended up giving advice and comfort to Lianna’s miserable husband. Lianna divorced Rob and married the neurologist who was treating her. Now, Lianna, Molly, and Harris lived in a sprawling stone colonial in the upscale suburb of Gladwyne.
Not long after, Chloe and Rob were married in a quiet ceremony and Chloe moved into the Manayunk house. She removed every trace of Rob’s former life except for Molly’s room which Rob had insisted be kept exactly the same for his daughter’s visits. It was in Molly’s room that Shelby would be staying while she cared for Jeremy. To Chloe’s annoyance, Rob had insisted on asking his daughter’s permission, but Shelby was not offended. On the contrary, she thought it showed a healthy respect for Molly and her space.
Chloe’s house was, as always, immaculate, the walls hung with the quilts she had made herself, and a ceramic pitcher of perfectly fresh flowers on the dining room table. You’d never know a child lived here, Shelby thought. Their apartments had always been chaotic and strewn with toys throughout Chloe’s childhood. She could never understand how Chloe managed to keep her own house perfectly tidy. Shelby made a quick trip to the tiny downstairs powder room beneath the staircase while Chloe waited, and then they went back outside. Chloe got into the front seat of her own car, which was parked in front of the house, on the passenger side. Shelby walked around and opened the driver’s side door.
‘Do you want to take my car, honey?’ she asked.
Chloe looked at her in disbelief. ‘Your car does not have a car seat, mom. A child cannot ride in a car without a car seat,’ she explained, as if Shelby had suggested decapitation as a method of curing a headache.
‘Oh right, of course,’ said Shelby. ‘OK.’
Shelby pushed some food wrappers aside and got into the driver’s seat of Chloe’s car. She was struck, as she had often been in the past, by the fact that the inside of the car was a mess. It seemed to be the one place where Chloe’s compulsive neatness was not in control. The front and back seats both were littered with empty water bottles, juice boxes, food wrappers, catalogs, and papers. There was change scattered over the floor mats as if someone had opened the door and hurled in a handful. Shelby glanced over at her daughter. ‘Don’t you want to drive?’ she asked. ‘You know the way.’
‘I’ll give you directions,’ said Chloe. ‘You’ll need to drive my car this week, because you cannot take Jeremy in your car. Not without a car seat.’
‘I won’t. I promise,’ said Shelby.
‘So, you need to get used to this car,’ said Chloe.
‘I think I’ll get the hang of it pretty easily,’ said Shelby.
Chloe frowned. ‘Every car is different.’
‘Sweetie, it’s not like I’m trying to fly a plane here. It’s a car.’
‘I’d feel better,’ Chloe insisted, ‘knowing you had already tried it.’
‘OK, sure,’ said Shelby, turning on the engine.
‘Take the first right and then you’re going to go three-quarters of a mile,’ said Chloe, ‘until you see our church. You’ve been there before.’
Shelby nodded and began to drive. She knew that Jeremy’s preschool was located in the church basement. It always sounded strange to her ears to hear Chloe talk about her church. Shelby had not raised Chloe in any religion, but when Chloe married Rob, she adopted his faith. His parents were missionaries in Southeast Asia, and Rob’s background had been extremely religious. Shelby made it a point to be respectful of their choice, even though it seemed foreign to her. She glanced over at her daughter, and was shocked to see tears standing in her eyes. ‘Chloe, what’s the matter?’
‘I just hate leaving Jeremy. It’s going to be so hard on him to be without us for a week.’
Shelby felt vaguely insulted at the image of Jeremy, miserable in her care, but she knew it was just Chloe, dreading the separation. Mother and son had spent very