But her expression was strange and her smile seemed very forced. Her appearance bore the marks of hardship. She was much tanner, her skin dry and shriveled, like she had come back from a drought-stricken land.
Even with makeup, she couldn’t hide the abnormality.
If even I could notice it, Dad definitely could too.
But he didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, he was overjoyed, warmly welcoming Mom and saying he’d cook us a nice dinner so we could reunite as a family.
While Dad was in the kitchen, Mom quietly slipped into my room. She handed me a small packet of ash-gray powder and told me to mix it into Dad’s food or drink later to make sure he ingested it.
I was confused and didn’t know what that powder actually was.
But Mom kept urging me, “Remember this, Evelyn, only you can give it to him. That man is not your real dad. I’m sure you’ve already noticed! He’s been back for half a month. If you don’t give it to him soon, he’ll never leave again!”
I didn’t know who to believe anymore. I could only keep asking Mom over and over again.
“Mom, what is this powder? Will it kill him?”
Mom mysteriously shook her head and smiled.