I took my son to visit my husband, the commander, but the guard blocked us at the gate and said, “His girlfriend is inside the unit. No visitors!” I covered my son’s ears, called my second brother, and

sitting on the bathroom floor holding the model aircraft carrier.

“Mom,” he asked, “is Dad bad?”

She sat beside him.

“He made bad choices.”

“But is he bad?”

She considered her answer carefully.

“He is your father. You are allowed to love him. You are also allowed to be hurt by him.”

Ethan traced the tiny deck with one finger.

“Do you love him?”

Olivia answered continue reading …