“Not really,” I told her honestly.
“You don’t?”
“Not in a bad way, but from my perspective, it was just one day.”
“And it was kind of something we did just to please our mothers, huh?”
“Ah, you do remember.”
“I remember them being annoying,” she said softly. “I miss them both, and your granny, too, but they were certainly bossy women.”
“They didn’t know when to stop.”
“Do you think we’re doing that to Matthew?”
“What? Being bossy?”
She nodded, and I stopped walking and turned to Helena. In the soft lights, she looked so worried all of a sudden.
“Is that what’s been bothering you, princess?”
“You called me princess.”
“You are my princess,” I told her. “More than that, you’re my queen.”
“Oh, Bob,” she reached for me and wrapped her arms around me. I closed my eyes as I patted her hair.
“I love you so much,” she said. “You know that.”
“I do.”
She pulled back and looked at me. For a minute, I thought she was going to tell me that everything was fine, and that nothing was wrong. For a moment, I thought she was going to keep this secret a little bit longer, but to my surprise, she nodded.
Then she spoke.
“Bob, I’m worried I won’t have anything after this.”
“After what?”
“After tomorrow,” she said. “I’m worried that nobody will need me.”
“You think that Matthew won’t need you anymore?”
She nodded.
“And you think Dora won’t need you anymore?”
Another nod.
“What about me, princess? Don’t you know that I’ll still need you?”
But Helena just looked up at me, blinking. A tear slid down the side of her face, and finally, she shook her head.
“I’m worried you won’t, Bob.”
5
Helena