The Boy Who Stopped Eating

Chapter 2 - The Woman Who Knew Rebecca

Daniel waited until Ethan fell asleep against his chest before asking Maya to sit down.

The restaurant manager had already approached to apologize for the broken plate, but Daniel barely heard him.

His attention remained on Maya.

"You knew my wife."

It was not a question.

Maya looked toward Ethan.

"Yes."

"How?"

"We worked together."

Daniel frowned.

Rebecca had been an event designer before Ethan was born.

"Here?"

"Before you met her."

Daniel studied Maya's face.

Rebecca rarely spoke about her life before their marriage. Whenever he asked about old friends, she would smile and change the subject.

"Why didn't she ever mention you?"

Maya lowered her eyes.

"We didn't part on good terms."

Daniel waited.

Maya slowly removed the small silver bracelet around her wrist.

A tiny blue charm hung from it.

Daniel recognized it.

Rebecca had owned an identical one.

"I gave her the matching bracelet when we were twenty-one."

Daniel felt a strange pressure in his chest.

"You were close."

Maya gave a sad smile.

"She was my best friend."

Ethan stirred at the sound of her voice.

Without fully waking, he reached one hand toward Maya.

She let him hold two fingers.

Daniel noticed immediately.

"Why does he trust you?"

Maya hesitated.

"Maybe because I'm not asking him to stop missing her."

Daniel's expression changed.

"I don't ask him to."

"No."

Maya spoke gently.

"But everyone around him is trying to make him feel better."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Except sometimes a child doesn't want to feel better yet."

Daniel looked down at his son.

Maya continued.

"When Rebecca lost her mother, she was the same way."

Daniel looked up.

"Rebecca's mother died when she was a child?"

Maya nodded.

"For almost a year, Rebecca hated anyone who told her everything would be okay."

Daniel had never known.

"She once told me the worst sentence adults kept saying was, 'You have to move on.'"

Maya looked at Ethan.

"He doesn't need somebody to pull him away from his grief. He needs somebody willing to sit beside him inside it."

Daniel said nothing.

For three months, he had taken Ethan to specialists.

Changed routines.

Removed Rebecca's belongings because the therapist said reminders might trigger him.

Encouraged him to eat.

Encouraged him to play.

Encouraged him to smile.

Suddenly Daniel wondered whether every attempt to help had sounded to Ethan like one message:

Stop missing Mommy.

Maya stood.

"I should get back to work."

Daniel stopped her.

"Please."

She turned.

"Would you talk to him again?"

Maya's expression became uneasy.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why?"

Her eyes filled with something Daniel couldn't understand.

"Because there's something about Rebecca's death you don't know."