Name Not Taken

by Madeleine Henry

I know you took a train here. Honestly, I wasn’t sure you would after everything that’s happened. It’s really nice of you to show up like this, but . . . we think it’d be best if it’s just family when she comes home.” The sentence is repeated with the exact same intonation. The words don’t feel like his own. I want to debate him. This isn’t right. We’ve spent two years in each other’s heads. No matter how bad it got, we never shut the other person out. I want to be here for him, the way a wife is for her husband. We haven’t said our vows yet, but the commitment remains, doesn’t it? “Richard, I want to stay.” “It’s not about what you want—” “But—” “It’s about what’s best for her.” He interlaces his fingers and tugs his hands in two directions. “Devon, I’m sorry, and I love you. I’m just very confused by everything you did while she was missing. Dad and Oliver saw photos from your show too. We just want Mom to feel supported right now. We don’t want there to be angst in the house. This morning, she was tied up in a basement. She was . . .” He glances over my shoulder, then down fast. I turn around as if there’s someone behind me, but there’s only the Belmonts’ backyard. Headlights illuminate the covered pool in the distance. This must be the window that Vanessa knocked on earlier today. This is the view that elated and terrified him. I look for any smudge of her knuckle, but the panes are clean.

That totally makes sense to me. She’s not family.