The doorbell rang at seven o'clock in the evening. I thought it was Mom and Dad, but when I opened the door and saw Derek with brownies, I said, "Derek, hello there. Please come in."
"Julia, by the way. I've got some brownies that are John's favorites, and I'm sure you'll enjoy them as well."
"Thank you for this," I said as we sat in the kitchen.
"You're welcome," he said, looking around. "Where is your son?" he said.
When he questioned that, I quickly stopped what I was doing and stared at him, asking, "How did you know about him?"
"Sorry, but I overheard you on the phone last week, and it appears that you had an argument with your mother, and I overheard you say, 'my son.' It's only that I realized Shan is your son, which I suspected from the start but wasn't sure about. I can see the sparkle in your eyes when you're with him, and you're relieved to never have to explain yourself. That is something I am aware of because my mother treats my siblings and me in this way."
