Chapter 8 - VIVIAN WAS NINE
Vivian apologized before Monique did.
That mattered.
Three weeks after dinner, Monique asked if Vivian could send Nina a voice message.
I asked Nina.
She said:
“Maybe.”
We listened together.
Vivian’s voice was small.
“I’m sorry I called you trash.”
Pause.
“Grandma says stuff about your clothes all the time, and Mom says not to argue with her.”
Another pause.
“I wanted Grandma to laugh.”
Nina looked at me.
Same pattern children fall into everywhere.
Find the adult audience.
Perform.
Vivian continued:
“My glitter shoes were supposed to be yours.”
Nina sat up.
“What?”
The message:
“Grandma bought them, but they didn’t fit you because they were my size, so Mom said I could have them. I didn’t know they were from your money.”
I stopped the audio.
Not because Vivian had said something wrong.
Because my anger was rising and Nina did not need to manage it.
“Mom?”
“Yes.”
“Did Grandma buy Vivian stuff with my money?”
“Some things may have been charged to your trust incorrectly.”
“My money?”
“Money held for you.”
“Did Vivian steal it?”
“No.”
Immediate.
“She’s a kid.”
Nina thought.
“Like when she called me trash?”
May you like
“That was her choice. But the money wasn’t.”
Children deserve precise blame too.
