Chapter 4 - The Language of the House
Back at Willow Crest Road, the pale stone mansion no longer felt like a mausoleum.
When Marcus walked through the front doors at six o’clock, the usual oppressive silence was gone, replaced by something entirely foreign: laughter.
He followed the sound toward the kitchen.
Elena stood by the island with a dish towel draped over her shoulder. Opposite her stood Vivian—gray trousers unbuttoned slightly at the waist for comfort, hair slightly mussed—frantically moving her hands in front of her face.
Lily sat on a high stool, clapping her hands silently, her face lit up with a grin Marcus hadn’t seen since before Clara died.
Nora stood near the counter, holding a cup of coffee, translating Vivian’s clumsy signs.
“She said apple,” Nora announced. “Not onion. But close.”
Vivian groaned, resting her forehead against the marble counter. “My fingers refuse to cooperate. I feel like I’m trying to untie a knot with frozen rope.”
“You’re doing fine,” Nora encouraged her gently.
Then Lily looked toward the doorway.
Her smile faltered slightly as she saw Marcus. For a year, her father had been a tall, distant shadow who hovered near her bedroom door, offering sad smiles and silence she couldn’t interpret.
Marcus stopped in the doorway. He looked at Nora.
Nora set her mug down and quietly signed to Lily: Papa is here.
Lily looked back at her father. Her small fingers rose. Slowly.
PAPA.
Marcus swallowed hard. He walked into the kitchen, his long stride unhurried, stopping two feet from his daughter. He knelt down so his eyes were level with hers.
His hands rose. Clumsy. Incorrect. He tried to sign: WELCOME HOME.
Except he signed: PAPA WANTS CHEESE.
Elena choked on a laugh. Vivian covered her mouth.
Lily stared at him for three seconds. Then her shoulders shook with silent laughter. She reached out, took his large hands in her small ones, and gently guided his fingers into the correct shape.
WELCOME.
Marcus’s throat tightened. He repeated the motion, his fingers trembling slightly. WELCOME, LILY.
The little girl threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against his shoulder. Marcus closed his eyes, his arms wrapping around her small frame as though if he let go, she might vanish back into the silence.
Nora watched from across the kitchen.
She took a slow sip of her coffee, turned away, and began wiping down the counter. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out.
Hospital billing department.
PAYMENT DUE IN 3 DAYS.
May you like
She looked at the screen for a second, then slid the phone back into her pocket without opening it.
Marcus, still holding Lily, looked up and caught the movement. He didn’t say anything. But he noticed.
