As Lucas sat Jason down in the living room, there was a palpable and thick silence in the house. His duffel bag, a silent but conspicuous sign of completion, lay close to the front door. Long shadows, resembling those that settle across their lives, were cast across the floor by the afternoon sun streaming through the windows.
Unaware of the impending emotional storm, Jason continued to play the game controller while he sat on the couch.
Lucas cleared his throat. "Hi, friend," he said softly, his voice breaking. "Can we have a brief conversation?"
Jason blinked as he looked up. "Am I in trouble?"
"No," Lucas hurriedly said, trying to smile. "You're not in any kind of trouble. This is... this is about adult matters."
Lorna was standing close by, her arms crossed over her chest as though she were keeping herself together. Lucas insisted on breaking the news on his own, even though she had wanted to do it with him. He knelt before Jason, and she watched, gasping for air.
Lucas went on to say, "There are times when adults... when they try really hard to make things work, but they just can't anymore." "And I've decided to move out for a while, along with your mom."
The words didn't quite land, and Jason blinked at him. "Like a trip, maybe?"
Lucas said in a thick voice, "No, it's more than that." "I won't be residing here all the time. But don't worry, I'll see you. Your father will always be me. That remains unchanged."
There was silence between them.
Then Jason's lower lip quivered. "Does it stem from me?"
Lorna took over right away and knelt next to him. "No, sweetheart. Never. You are not to blame for this. We just need time to work things out, Mommy and Lucas."
Jason's voice broke. "Don't leave," he said.
Lucas averted his gaze, his jaw clenched. His hand swept through Jason's hair. "I understand, child. I do not wish to cause you harm. However, this is what we need at the moment."
Jason started crying, and Lorna's heart's remaining walls were broken by the sound of his sobs.
Lorna held Jason firmly in her arms as Lucas got up and made his way to the door. They sobbed together, caught up in a moment of mutual sorrow that neither of them could fully comprehend. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she caressed her son's back.
Lucas paused at the entrance. Without saying another word, he took one last look back at the life he was leaving behind.
The door shut with a soft thud, but it sounded like a cannon to Jason and Lorna.
There were two after that. In the ruins of a broken family, a mother and her child are clinging to one another.