The next clip came fast after that: hair collecting in a brush, hair on her pillow, Lily crying in the bathroom while I knelt beside her.
Then Leo, small and serious and still round-cheeked with babyhood, saying into my phone camera, “You can have mine until yours comes back.”
No one in the room moved.
The video kept going.
Leo handing Lily one of his curls to tug when she got nervous before a blood draw.
Leo refusing a trim in my kitchen chair.
Leo on the back porch telling Mark, “Boys can have curls.
Mine are busy.” A nurse’s voice asking, “Busy doing what?” and Leo answering, “Helping Lily.”
By the time the clip played of Lily whispering, “Don’t cut it yet.
It still helps,” Dana had both hands over her mouth.
Tom was staring at Brenda as if he had never seen her clearly before.
Brenda herself had gone absolutely still.
