Chapter 3 - The Vacation That Was Never Hers
The next morning, Daniel woke before sunrise.
He sat alone at the kitchen table, reviewing the travel documents Renee had left in a drawer.
The reservation had been made six weeks earlier.
Four passengers.
Not five.
There had been no canceled seat for Nia, no waiting list, and no separate itinerary.
His wife had booked the trip exactly as she intended it to happen.
He remembered the evening they had first discussed Hawaii.
Nia had been sitting beside him on the couch, showing him pictures of beaches on her tablet.
Alicia had always wanted to take her there.
Daniel had promised his daughter that one day they would go.
When his annual bonus arrived, he decided the entire family deserved something special.
“Book five seats,” he had told Renee. “Let's make this a real family vacation.”
She had kissed him.
“I'll handle everything.”
And because he trusted her, he never checked.
That morning, Renee came downstairs dressed for work.
She stopped when she saw the papers.
“Are we really doing this again?”
Daniel pushed the reservation toward her.
“You booked these six weeks ago.”
“Yes.”
“Where was Nia supposed to be when we left?”
Renee opened the refrigerator.
“She's fourteen, Daniel. She's not a baby.”
“That's not what I asked.”
“She would have been fine.”
“For seven nights?”
“Your sister could have checked on her.”
“Patrice thought Nia was going to camp.”
Renee shut the refrigerator.
“Then there was a misunderstanding.”
Daniel watched her carefully.
“What camp, Renee?”
She looked toward the kitchen window.
“It was an option we discussed.”
“With whom?”
Silence.
Daniel slid the printed household checklist across the table.
“Did you expect her to stay here by herself and clean the house while the rest of us were in Hawaii?”
Renee pulled out a chair.
“Are you seriously going to believe every little thing that girl tells you?”
“She didn't tell me about the reservation. I found it.”
Renee pressed her lips together.
For once, there was no easy explanation.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Why didn't you want her there?”
Renee looked tired rather than embarrassed.
“Because every time we do something together, she reminds everybody about Alicia.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“I'm trying to build a family with you. But Nia still acts like I'm some stranger who moved into her mother's house.”
“She lost her mother.”
“I know that.”
“Then how could you expect her to act?”
Renee's eyes hardened.
“You don't understand what it's like. Everything in this house belonged to you and Alicia before I got here. The furniture. The photographs. Even the Christmas decorations.”
Daniel glanced toward the living room.
There was one photograph of Alicia on the bookshelf.
Nia had asked that it stay there.
“That's her mother,” he said quietly.
“And I'm your wife.”
“One doesn't erase the other.”
Renee looked away.
Then she said something that answered more than Daniel had asked.
“I thought if we had one vacation without Nia, my kids might finally feel like this was their family too.”
Daniel studied her face.
“So you knew exactly what you were doing.”
Renee didn't answer.
Later, Brielle found Daniel in the garage.
She stood by the door, still wearing her pajamas.
“Can I talk to you?”
Daniel set down the toolbox he had been moving.
“Of course.”
Brielle hesitated.
“Mom told us Nia didn't want to come.”
Daniel straightened.
“When?”
“Before she bought the tickets.”
“Did Nia tell you that herself?”
Brielle shook her head.
“I asked her why. Mom said not to bring it up because Nia was being difficult about everything.”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
Brielle continued.
“I saw Nia looking at the beach pictures. I thought maybe she'd changed her mind.”
“Why didn't you ask?”
Brielle stared at the garage floor.
“I didn't want Mom to get mad.”
Daniel recognized the familiar discomfort in her voice.
His daughter was not the only child who had learned to avoid upsetting Renee.
Brielle wiped her eyes quickly.
“I wanted to go to Hawaii. I didn't think about what it meant for Nia.”
Daniel moved closer.
“You didn't make the reservation. But next time you see something unfair, I hope you'll speak up.”
Brielle nodded.
That evening, Daniel approached Renee again.
He told her they needed counseling, clear household rules, and an honest apology to Nia.
Renee listened without interrupting.
Then she folded her arms.
“And if I refuse?”
“Then we have a serious problem.”
She stood.
“If you're going to put Nia first every single time, maybe my children and I shouldn't be here.”
Daniel felt a sharp ache in his chest.
He cared about Brielle and Cameron. He had never considered them temporary guests in his home.
But Renee was asking him to prove his love for them by accepting his daughter's exclusion.
May you like
He looked toward the staircase, where Nia's bedroom door stood closed.
For the first time, Daniel understood that keeping everyone under the same roof was not necessarily the same thing as keeping everyone safe.
