Chapter 25 - Ethan asks whether Dad knew

One night Ethan asked me:
“Did Dad know Gary?”
“No.”
“Would Dad beat him up?”
I knew the answer he wanted.
Superhero father.
Dead man returns.
Destroys villain.
I said:
“Dad would have protected you.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
He frowned.
“That’s bad story.”
“Real life.”
He thought.
Then:
“You did.”
“Did what?”
“Protected me.”
I swallowed.
“So did Samuel.”
“Yeah.”
“And Mom called him.”
May you like
Ethan nodded reluctantly.
Children can hold complicated truth earlier than adults expect.