“The forks have disappeared again. I bought forty-eight, and now there are seven.”
He laughed.
“Kids do strange things. Remember when Alex tried to flush his socks?”
“This is different. He looks terrified whenever I ask.”
There was a pause.
It lasted only a second, but I noticed it.
“You sound exhausted,” Brandon said. “Eat something and rest. We’ll figure it out.”
“Don’t dismiss me as stressed.”
“I’m not dismissing you. I’m saying you shouldn’t panic over silverware.”
I ended the call before my frustration turned into an argument.
That evening, Brandon stayed in Alex’s room longer than usual. When he came out, he looked strangely cheerful.
“What were you talking about?”
“Nothing important. Just boy stuff.”
He kissed my forehead and walked toward the bathroom.
The following morning, he announced that he had to leave for a two-day warehouse assignment.
“Since when does your job require travel?” I asked.
“They offered overtime. We need the money.”
As he packed, he avoided my eyes.
“Brandon, is something wrong between us?”
He stopped folding a shirt and pulled me into his arms.
“Everything is fine. I promise.”
He left before noon.
That evening, Alex barely ate dinner and asked to go to bed early.
That alone was unusual.
When I sat beside him, I noticed that his mattress felt uneven, as though someone had placed pencils beneath the sheet.
“Stand up for a moment, sweetheart.”
His face filled with panic.
“No, Mommy. Please don’t look.”
I gently lifted him from the bed and pulled back the sheet.
Then I raised the mattress.
Dozens of forks had been arranged underneath it in perfectly straight rows.
Their silver handles were lined up with care, and every set of tines pointed in the same direction.
Alex burst into tears.
“Please don’t take them away!”
“Why do you need all these forks?”
“Daddy said we need them.”
My entire body went still.
“What exactly did Daddy say?”
Alex shook his head and cried harder.
“It’s Daddy’s secret.”
PART 2
I left the forks beneath the mattress and tucked Alex into bed.
Then I stepped into the hallway and called Brandon.
“Why are there dozens of forks hidden beneath our son’s mattress?”
Silence filled the line.
“It’s only a game,” he finally answered.
“What kind of game?”
“I called it Treasure Knights. The forks are silver swords protecting the castle.”
“Then why did you make Alex promise not to tell me?”
“Cece, you’re making this bigger than it is.”
“No. You involved our five-year-old son in a secret and repeatedly lied when I asked about it.”
Brandon exhaled slowly.
“My overtime hours were reduced. I didn’t want you worrying about money, so I invented a game to distract Alex when I came home late.”
His explanation made no sense.
“How long have your hours been reduced?”
“A few weeks.”
