I kept the phone against my ear.
Beth hadn't said much since I told her I could see Owen.
I watched the Buick.
Owen was sitting in the back.
He looked small through the window.
Finn leaned forward in his seat.
"Can I go get him?"
I looked at him.
"Not yet, sweetheart."
He nodded.
I didn't want to frighten Owen by rushing toward the car without thinking.
I also didn't want him to believe he had done something wrong.
Beth finally spoke.
"April, I don't understand."
"I know."
"Wade told me the boys were at your house."
"That's what Finn said."
"But you were bringing Finn here?"
"Every Friday."
I could hear her breathing change.
"Then where did I think Owen was?"
I didn't answer immediately.
She already knew.
She had believed her son was with me.
I had believed my son was with her.
And Wade had apparently been using those two assumptions to keep us from comparing what we had been told.
I looked toward the Buick again.
"Beth, Owen is right here. We need to make sure he's okay."
Her voice became unsteady.
"Is he alone?"
"Yes."
"Has he been there all night?"
"Finn says he has."
She went quiet.
I glanced at the dashboard clock.
It was still early.
The parking lot remained mostly empty.
There were a few cars near the store entrance, but the far end was quiet.
I could see the orange notice on the Buick's windshield.
The same kind of notice Finn had carried home.
It looked even more troubling now.
"April, please don't leave him."
"I'm not leaving."
"Can you stay with him?"
"Yes."
I looked at Finn.
He was already reaching for his seat belt.
I understood.
He wanted to be beside Owen.
I opened my door.
"Stay close to me."
Finn climbed out.
I walked around the car and opened the rear door.
The morning air was cold.
Owen looked at me.
His eyes moved from my face to Finn's.
Then he looked down.
"Hi, Owen."
He didn't answer.
Finn stepped closer.
"Hey."
Owen's face changed slightly.
He looked relieved to see him.
But he still didn't move.
I crouched beside the open door.
"Are you all right?"
He nodded.
"Have you been here all night?"
Another small nod.
I looked at the seat.
There was a sleeping bag folded near him.
I recognized the red one from the black writing on its edge.
The boys had clearly been using it.
I tried not to stare.
"Are you hurt?"
He shook his head.
"Are you cold?"
He shrugged.
That was enough for me to understand that he wasn't comfortable.
I spoke gently.
"Your mom is on the phone."
Owen looked up.
His expression changed immediately.
"Is she mad?"
The question hurt.
I shook my head.
"No, sweetheart."
I held the phone where he could hear her.
"Beth, Owen is here."
There was a pause.
Then her voice came through.
"Owen?"
He looked at the phone.
"Mom?"
Beth made a small sound.
It was difficult to tell whether she was crying or trying not to.
"Are you okay, baby?"
Owen didn't answer.
He looked at Finn.
Then back at the phone.
"I'm okay."
Beth asked him another question.
"Where are you?"
Owen looked at the Buick.
Then at me.
"Walmart."
Beth went quiet.
I didn't interrupt.
She needed to hear her son's voice.
And he needed to hear hers.
"Why are you at Walmart, honey?"
Owen lowered his head.
"Wade brought us."
Beth took a breath.
"Did Wade leave you there?"
Owen nodded.
I looked at Finn.
He was standing beside the door, watching his friend.
Beth asked whether Owen had been there alone.
Owen shook his head.
"Finn was with me."
Beth's voice broke.
"Finn was there too?"
Owen nodded again.
I felt my chest tighten.
The boys had been together.
They had kept each other company.
But neither one had been able to change what was happening.
Beth spoke again.
"Can you tell me why you were sleeping in the car?"
Owen looked down at his hands.
"Wade said we couldn't stay inside."
I glanced at Finn.
He was listening.
I didn't want either boy to feel responsible for explaining the adults' behavior.
"Beth," I said quietly, "we should talk about the rest when we can all be together."
She agreed.
Then she asked me to stay with Owen.
I told her I would.
I ended the call only after she said she would contact me again.
For a moment, I remained beside the open door.
Owen was still sitting inside.
I held out my hand.
"Come on. You don't have to stay in there."
He looked at the parking lot.
Then at Finn.
"Can I?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
He climbed out slowly.
His clothes were rumpled.
His hair was flattened on one side.
He looked tired in the same way Finn had looked when he walked into our kitchen.
Finn stepped forward.
"Mom brought your sleeping bag."
I turned toward my car.
The red sleeping bag was still in the back.
I retrieved it and brought it over.
Owen touched the fabric.
"Thank you."
It was such a small thing to say.
I wished he didn't feel he needed to thank us for something so ordinary.
I looked at both boys.
"We're going to get you somewhere warm."
Neither argued.
I returned to the car and opened the rear door.
Finn climbed in first.
Owen followed.
I placed the red sleeping bag beside them.
Then I looked back at the Buick.
The orange notice was still attached to the windshield.
I couldn't stop thinking about how close the boys had come to having the car towed.
The paper had been meant as a warning about overnight parking.
But for me, it was a record of something much more serious.
Two children had been sleeping there.
And the adults who were supposed to know where they were had believed something else entirely.
I got behind the wheel.
Before pulling away, I looked at the boys in the mirror.
Finn was watching Owen.
Owen was watching Finn.
Neither said anything.
I started driving.
Click here to continue reading: PART 6: On the Drive Away From Walmart, I Realized the Boys Had Been Carrying a Secret That Neither Mother Had Ever Agreed to Keep
My Son Walked Through the Kitchen Door Before Sunrise, Carrying Something That Made Me Question Every Weekend I Thought I Understood
Part 5 of 8
