Addie indulged her whenever she could. If it meant staying up late or eating too many sweets, she was the typical grandmother. “I’m glad you’re back.” Kate hugged me. “I didn’t want to go to bed until I knew you were safe.”I glanced at Addie. She shrugged and disappeared. “What made you think I wasn’t safe?”“I don’t know. I worry about you, Mommy. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”“I don’t think that’s a good excuse for staying up too late on a school night.” I kept my tone light and teasing, but her words had hit a nerve. I didn’t want her to worry about me. That wasn’t her job.We went upstairs to her room, and I read her a story. Kate stared at the ceiling with her bunny friend in her arms as I read. When I was finished, she asked, “What would happen to me if you died?”“Where is all of this coming from?” I looked into her pretty face. “Did someone say something at school?”I was envisioning kids teasing her because she only had one parent or because her mother was a zombie taxi driver.
