Chapter 24: Emma's Questions

I was sitting in the big chair by the window in Nonna Elena's living room, swinging my legs 'cause they didn't reach the floor. The grown-ups were whispering in the kitchen, using their serious voices, which meant something important was going on.

The TV was on, but no one was watching. I kept seeing our pictures on the screen, which was weird because we weren't celebrities. Just normal people.

Mommy came back from the kitchen looking tired, like she does when she has to talk on the phone for work. She sat on the couch across from me.

"Emma, sweetie, are you okay? I know today's been confusing."

I thought about it. Confusing was a good word for today. "Why do the TV people care about us, Mommy? We didn't do anything special."

Mommy gave me that look she has when she's trying to explain stuff to me. "Sometimes, when families have tricky situations, people get curious and start talking about it."

"But why our family? Lots of families have tricky stuff. Jenny at school's parents are divorced, and no one puts her on TV."

Daddy walked in from the kitchen then, and I could tell he'd been listening. He looked sad, but tried to smile at me.

"That's a good question, princess," he said, sitting next to Mommy on the couch. "It's just that Mommy and I both have companies, so people think our family stuff is interesting."

I swung my legs, thinking. "So, when you're famous, people think they can know your private stuff?"

"Kind of like that," Mommy said. "Even if it's not fair."

"That's not fair," I said because it wasn't. "Private stuff should stay private. That's what you taught me about not telling people our family business."

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other.

"Emma," Daddy said, "some of the things people are saying on TV... they might not be true. If you hear stuff at school or from other people, you can ask us about it, okay?"

"What kind of stuff?" I asked.

Another look between them.

"Well," Mommy said slowly, "some people might say that Mommy kept you away from Daddy for too long. They might say Daddy was a bad person, or that we're weird."

I thought about it. "Were you supposed to keep me away from Daddy?"

Mommy's eyes started watering. "I thought I was protecting you, sweetheart. I thought it was the right thing. But maybe there were better ways."

"And were you a bad person, Daddy?"

Daddy looked really sad. "I messed up, Emma. I wasn't ready to be a good daddy back then, and I hurt Mommy's feelings. I'm sorry for that."

I nodded. "So you both did things you wish you hadn't, but you were trying to do what you thought was right?"

"Yeah, exactly," Daddy said, surprised.

"Like when I broke your favorite mug, Mommy, 'cause I was trying to be helpful, but I didn't know it was too heavy for me to carry?"

"Exactly like that," Mommy said, smiling.

"So the TV people are saying you're bad parents because of the mistakes?"

"Some of them might be," Daddy said.

I thought that was stupid. "But they don't know you. They don't know that Mommy makes my lunch into heart shapes or that she reads me three stories, even when she's tired. And they don't know that you learned to braid hair just to help me get ready for school."

They both looked surprised about the hair braiding.

"When did Daddy braid your hair?" Mommy asked.

"Yesterday morning, when you were on that phone call. He watched a video and practiced on my doll first. It was pretty good."

Mommy looked at Daddy with a different look, softer.

"They also don't know that you both love me, or that you're trying to be a good family."

"That's right," Nonna Elena said, coming in with tea. "The news people like exciting stories, but they don't always tell the truth."

"Why not?" I asked. "Don't they want to tell the truth?"

"Some do," Nonna Elena said, sitting in her chair. "Sometimes the truth is boring, and sometimes they care more about getting people to watch."

"That's like lying."

"Yeah," Daddy said.

I looked at all the grown-ups. They seemed worried, but I wasn't scared. I had questions, but I wasn't scared.

"Emma," Mommy said, "how do you feel? Are you upset?"

I thought about it because it was important.

"I'm not upset," I said. "I'm confused about why they care, and I don't think it's nice to say mean things about people they don't know. But I'm not upset because I know the truth."

"What is the truth?" Daddy asked.

"That you and Mommy love me, and you love each other, and you're really trying to be a good family. The TV people can't change what's real."

Everyone got quiet. Mommy's eyes were watery again.

"Plus," I added, "Mrs. Patterson says people who say mean things are usually sad about something. Maybe the TV people are just sad."

"You're so smart," Nonna Elena said.

"I listen," I said, "and I think. Like, I've been thinking about why this started."

"Oh?" Daddy said. "What did you figure out?"

"Well, we were doing good, right? Having fun, and you and Mommy were getting less scared. And then all these people started saying bad things."

I swung my legs. "So, it's either a big coincidence, or someone doesn't want us to be happy together."

The grown-ups looked surprised.

"That's very perceptive," Uncle Lucas said from the doorway.

"So who doesn't want us to be happy?" I asked.

More looks.

"There might be some people who don't want Mommy and Daddy to get back together," Uncle Lucas said.

"Like who?"

"Well," Daddy said slowly, "there's a woman named Sophia who used to work with me, and she hoped that maybe someday she and I might be more than friends."

"Oh," I said. "So when she saw you wanted to be with Mommy and me, she got jealous?"

"Yeah."

"That's sad," I said, "but being jealous doesn't make it okay to hurt our family."

"No, it doesn't," Mommy said.

"And are there other people too?"

Uncle Lucas and Nonna Elena exchanged a look.

"There might be some business people who don't like it when our families are strong together," Nonna Elena said. "Some people think if they can hurt us, they can take our companies."

This made me mad. "Companies are how people make money to take care of their families. That's like trying to make families not have food or houses."

"Exactly," Daddy said.

I thought about all this. It was a lot of complicated grown-up stuff.

"Well," I said, "I think we should keep being a good family and not let the mean people win."

"How do we do that?" Mommy asked.

"By staying together and taking care of each other and not believing the lies people tell about us. And maybe by showing everyone we're good people."

"Those are excellent ideas," Nonna Elena said.

"And maybe," I continued, "we should feel sorry for the people who are being mean, because hurt people, hurt people. They're probably just sad."

Daddy made a funny noise. "Emma, you have the biggest heart."

"I get it from my family," I said.

The TV was still on, and I saw our picture again. This time it was from the hospital, when Daddy was hugging me and Mommy was holding my hand.

"You know what I think when I see that picture?" I said.

"What?" Mommy asked.

"I think we look like people who love each other. And if other people can't see that, maybe they forgot what love looks like."

Everyone got quiet again, but it was a good quiet.

"Emma," Daddy said, "what would you think if people at school asked you about the TV stories?"

I thought about it. "I'll tell them that my mommy and daddy made some mistakes, but they're good people who love me, and we're working on being the best family we can be."

"And if someone says something mean?"

"I'll tell them that saying mean things about people they don't know isn't nice, and that my family is happy, and that's what matters."

"What if they keep being mean?" Mommy asked.

"Then I'll walk away and find someone who wants to talk about nice things instead. Mrs. Patterson says we can't control what other people say, but we can control how we react."

Daddy looked at Mommy. "Our daughter is wise."

"She is," Mommy said.

I looked at the TV, where they were showing pictures of our house.

"Mommy? Daddy? The people on TV... are they being mean because Daddy made Mommy cry?"