34 Berry
Berry
“Something’s going on with Leo,” I say as I walk into the family room.
Phil makes a couple more clicks on his laptop and then looks up at me from the sofa. Ever since he started the new job, he’s
been busier than either of us expected. The good news is he’s actually making more money than he was before the supply company
went belly-up. The bad news is that he seems permanently attached to his computer.
As our eyes meet, I can already hear what he’s going to say. That I was finally starting to ease up. That I should let the
boy have his privacy. That Leo’s been making headway, spending time with that girl from Wunderkinds, meeting some of her friends,
and that I should leave well enough alone.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” he says.
“You have?” I lower myself onto the arm of the couch beside him.
“Do you think it’s something to do with Tatiana?” Phil asks.
But we both shake our heads. It’s not Tatiana. She was over at the house just a few days ago, and I heard her complaining to Leo that he’s been blowing her off, spending too much time on some research he’s doing.
I relay this to Phil, who says, “Yeah, that sounds right, research. But what’s he looking into?”
“Beats me. Look, I know you said I should quit it with the snooping, but don’t you think maybe this warrants a peek through
his stuff? Maybe his browser history if nothing else.”
“Definitely not.” Phil blanches. “One thing I know for sure is you should never search a teenage boy’s browser history.”
“Gross, Phil.” I shove his arm. “But I’m serious. We’re responsible for his well-being. Who knows what he’s getting into up
there?”
“I think we have to trust him,” Phil says. “If we want to send him off to that college program in a year and a half, we have
to start letting go. Start believing in him and letting him make his own mistakes, if that’s what this is.”
I know Phil’s right. That doesn’t make it any easier when I agree to let the chips fall where they may.