The drive to the fairgrounds felt endless.
Elliot gripped the steering wheel and sighed every few minutes, behaving as though the outing were a personal punishment.
In the back seat, the twins whispered excitedly about roller coasters, games, and cotton candy.
“Are we nearly there?” one of them asked while bouncing in his booster seat.
“Almost, buddy,” I said, turning around to squeeze his hand.
Elliot rolled his eyes.
“Can you ask them to be quiet? I have a headache.”
I bit my tongue and smiled at my brothers instead.
When we reached the fairgrounds, the twins practically jumped from the car.
Colorful lights flashed against the afternoon sky.
Music played from the rides, and the smell of popcorn and fried dough filled the warm air.
Elliot walked several steps behind us while scrolling through his phone.
“Come and look at this,” I said, pointing toward a spinning children’s ride. “The boys want to try it.”
He barely raised his eyes.
“You handle it.”
Then he shrugged.
“That’s the purpose of today, isn’t it? One final celebration before you correct this mess.”
The word *mess* settled painfully inside my chest.
“You’re right,” I said. “Today is about correcting things.”
He did not notice the change in my voice.
For the next hour, I rode the carousel with my brothers.
I bought them matching light-up wands and allowed them to share an enormous funnel cake.
Every time they laughed, Elliot checked his watch.
“How much longer?” he complained. “I have plans tonight.”
“Not much longer,” I promised.
Eventually, we walked past a row of brightly colored game booths.
A cheerful woman waved a pink flag toward us.
“Hello, beautiful family! Come and take a picture. The first photograph is free today.”
She gestured toward a backdrop painted with sunflowers.
The boys immediately pulled at my sleeves.
“Picture! Picture!”
Elliot dismissed the photographer without even looking at her.
“No, thank you. We’re not interested.”
I turned toward the woman and gave her the warmest smile I had managed all day.
“Actually, we would love a photograph.”
Elliot spun toward me.
“What? I already said no.”
“I heard you.”
Then I looked directly at him.
“But you do not need to be in the picture because you will no longer be part of our family after today.”
The photographer became completely still.
Elliot’s mouth fell open.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
I kept my voice calm.
“This was our final family outing, but not in the way you expected.”
I took my brothers’ hands.
“It was your final outing with us.”
His face turned dark red.
“Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?”
“No.”
I held his gaze.
“You ordered me to choose between you and my brothers.”
Then I smiled.
“I chose them the moment those words left your mouth.”
