I padded back through the patio where my siblings were sitting, discussing their favorite brand of crackers. It was such a mundane conversation that everything almost felt normal for a second.
"Thanks for coming," I said to Freddy and Edward. "But I think Martin's just going to need some time to process everything. He didn't know that we thought he was dead. In fact, do any of you even remember how Dad told us?"
"I remember Dad calling me at school, I think," Freddy said. "He made me come home for the funeral."
"Yeah, I think I was at work with Dad or something," Edward said.
"That's just so strange," I said. "I mean, I remember him calling Lori and I down to dinner and breaking the news. We were both so shocked, and we started to cry. Dad didn't even blink."
"That bstrd," Freddy said.
"We had just seen Martin a few days before," I said. "I was so happy he had been home, and I remember him taking us out to this new bakery. We got cupcakes..."
