Renee closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
Miles flinched.
The admission hurt even though he already knew it.
Renee turned toward him.
“I didn't tell myself that.”
“Of course not.”
“I told myself you had more.”
“More what?”
“Marcus.”
Miles stared.
Renee continued:
“You had his name.”
“His face.”
“His family treated you like their last piece of him.”
“The life insurance beneficiary documents mentioned you specifically for education.”
“Your grandfather took you fishing because Marcus took you fishing.”
“People looked at you and saw him.”
Miles's eyes filled.
“And Darius?”
Renee looked toward her older son.
“I thought everybody was going to forget Marcus chose him too.”
Darius shook his head.
“So you took Miles's stuff?”
Renee winced.
“It didn't start that way.”
“How did it start?”
She sat.
“The first Christmas after your dad died.”
Miles remembered.
Barely.
Walter had given him Marcus's old baseball glove.
Not expensive.
Worn brown leather.
Marcus's initials burned near the thumb.
Miles had slept with it under his pillow.
A week later it disappeared.
Renee told him he had misplaced it.
Miles stared at her.
“No.”
Her eyes filled.
Darius frowned.
“What?”
Renee whispered:
“I gave it to Darius.”
Both boys stared.
Miles stopped breathing.
Darius shook his head.
“No, you didn't.”
“The glove in my closet?”
“Yes.”
Darius looked sick.
“You told me Grandpa gave it to me.”
Renee nodded.
Miles stood.
“You told me I lost Dad's glove.”
“I know.”
“I looked for it for months.”
“I know.”
“You helped me look!”
Renee covered her face.
Walter stood.
“Jesus Christ.”
Renee shouted:
“Don't.”
Walter stopped.
She pointed toward him.
“You created part of this.”
“Yes.”
He nodded immediately.
“I did.”
Renee seemed unprepared.
Walter continued:
“I treated Darius like Renee's boy when Marcus had spent eleven years treating him like his son.”
Darius looked away.
Walter's voice broke.
“I was wrong.”
No excuse.
Renee stared.
Walter continued:
“But you don't repair exclusion by stealing from another child.”
“I know.”
“Did you then?”
“No.”
She cried.
“I thought Miles had everything Darius was being denied.”
Miles laughed bitterly.
“I didn't have Dad.”