Before leaving, Mike asked if he could take a few of Eleanor’s photos from an old family album. His father shrugged and said fine, then reminded him not to forget his promise to come back and sign. A few hours later, the couch was safely at the cabin.
When he got home, Mike busied himself making frames for the photos he had brought back. His wife watched with open confusion. She could not understand why he needed a whole display when one picture would have done just fine.
“You have no idea what may be about to change for us,” he said, half serious. No matter how he tried to explain it, his wife could not make much sense of what he was getting at. The next morning, Mike planned to drive to the cabin and inspect the couch carefully.
Remembering Ethan’s advice, he figured Eleanor might have hidden a note in the place where she slept. It was only a hunch, but it was worth checking. Just as he was about to leave, though, his phone rang.
His mother said she felt faint and asked him to come right away because his father was out. Mike turned the car around and drove to his parents’ house. Susan did look pale, but it was pretty clear her condition had more to do with nerves than anything else.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and asked what was wrong. Instead of answering, she quickly pulled out the same waiver papers and held them out to him. Mike did not rush. Calmly, he pointed out that legal forms were not exactly a cure-all.
“You’re worked up, that’s all. Get some water, get some air, and you’ll probably feel better,” he said dryly. At that, Susan seemed to recover almost instantly. She snapped that she would feel better only after seeing his signature on the page…
