“Mom?” Sean said suddenly.
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“Are you happy?”
Startled, she stared over at her son. “Happy?”
“Yeah.” He was gazing right on back at her, suddenly looking so much older and wiser than his ten years. “Are you?”
“Yeah, sweetie, I am.” She felt troubled and puzzled at his question. “Why are you asking?”
“Because.” He shrugged. “Because I want you to be happy.”
“I am.”
“You haven’t been, though. Not for a long time.”
Startled again, she asked, “What do you mean?”
“You haven’t been happy, Mom. I’ve seen it on your face.”
She laughed now, surprised at having her ability to read faces turned back on her so decisively. “You can see that, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“OK, Sean. No lies between us: I haven’t been happy for a while. That’s true.”
He nodded.
“I’ve been worried about you an
