But when I pushed the shower door open, quickly shrugged into my robe, and stepped into the hallway, it wasn’t Gerald standing there.
It was Robert, my father-in-law. He had been staying with us on and off lately, wanting extra time with his granddaughter, and now he stood there holding the second timer.
Gerald was three feet away, pale and stiff. Robert handed me a towel without a word. Then he turned to Gerald and said, very quietly, “Explain this.”
Gerald tried a laugh first. The nervous kind people use when they hope nonsense will pass as logic.
“Dad, it’s not what it looks like!”
“I saw you rushing to the main valve three mornings in a row, son,” Robert said. “Today I followed you.”
“I saw you rushing to the main valve three mornings in a row, son.”
Gerald swallowed. “We’re just trying to manage the baby’s routine.”
Robert held up the timer. “You taped this to the shower?”
“Jennie takes too long, Dad,” Gerald reasoned. “Maisie cries. I have work.”
