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stopped breathing, or he’d suffocated. He was dead.” Her breath caught, and it was several seconds before she could finish. “I remember feeling incredibly relieved.”
    BM handed her a tissue, and she blew her nose. “I didn’t tell your father about Clive before we married. It wasn’t until I was pregnant with you and found out you were a boy that it all came out, because I was so afraid for you. And I was so very ashamed.”
    A really nasty thought occurred to me at this point. I ground my teeth to try and keep it from escaping, but it got out anyway. “So you married him, ” I tilted my head towards BM, “out of guilt?”
    Suddenly she was all composure. “Since you have raised this question, I married Brian because I love him, because he loves me. I am no longer the confused girl who couldn’t face her brother’s condition. In fact, now I know that not only can I face this challenge, but I actually welcome it.”
    â€œYou still get freaked out by locked doors. Do you really think being Persie’s stepmum will make up for Clive? And even if it can, this purging pilgrimage can’t wait a year? You’re dragging me into this mess right now because . . . ?”
    BM’s voice surprised me. “That’s quite a sharp tongue you have, Simon.”
    Quick as a flash, I said, “It is. And the worse my life gets, the sharper it will be. Get used to it, or let me stay where I belong.”
    For the first time since I’d met him, I saw a flash of anger on BM’s face. And he was not the only one struck by what I’d said. It’s true, I’ve always had a bit of an acerbic quality to my personality, but the last few things I’d said were over the top, even for me. It came from desperation. There was a headiness about it that made me feel a little dizzy.
    Mum leaned forwards. “Simon, I’m sorry I waited so long to tell you about Clive and about Persie’s situation. It’s just that you were already so angry with me that I was trying to ration out how many things I told you at once. And not having told you about Persie, I tried to find a way to explain about Tink that would give me a little more time.”
    It would have been decidedly unwise to say anything that smacked of intolerance for dear Persie, but I decided to play a certain card one more time. “You haven’t answered my question. Why now?”
    BM interjected. “Your mother and I can’t spend the next year travelling back and forth to visit with each other, for two reasons. First, it upsets Persie immensely when I’m not home on a regular schedule. But it’s not only Persie who has trouble dealing with my absence. I don’t have the luxury of taking a week or two away every now and then. Exceptions can be made for emergencies or planned vacations, of course, but not for constant interruptions just because my wife and I live in different countries. In fact, I’ve already lost two clients in the past several months because they felt I wasn’t available enough. Second, until your mother takes up residence with me, Persie won’t have a chance to become accustomed to her. She can’t adjust to irregular comings and goings. So either we live together, your mother and I, or we see each other once or twice a year for short periods of time. I’m sure you can see that only one of these options is acceptable.”
    I crossed my arms over my chest and tried not to let my lower lip stick out in an obvious sulk. “So your business, and Persie’s problems, and the fact that you can’t live without each other for one year all add up to outweigh—oh, I don’t know, the rest of my life.” I turned towards Mum. “It’s like you set me up to have a great opportunity and then snatched it away right in front of me, as soon as I was ready to take hold of it!”
    â€œWhat are you talking