The boy looked surprised.
“Kicking seats and throwing popcorn wasn’t okay. But doing something wrong doesn’t make you a bad person.”
Ethan said nothing.
Owen continued gently.
“Were you trying to get somebody to pay attention to you?”
Ethan’s face collapsed.
Then he nodded.
His mother lowered her phone.
“They were fighting in the car,” Ethan whispered.
He wiped his eyes.
“They always fight.”
Nobody interrupted.
“And then we came here, and Dad was on his phone and Mom
was on hers.”
His voice broke.
“Nobody was watching the movie with me.”
He looked toward me.
“When she turned around, that was the first time anybody looked at me all night.”
His mother slowly put her phone away.
Owen stayed crouched at Ethan’s level.
“That’s a hard feeling,” he said.
“When it feels like nobody sees you.”
Ethan sniffed.
“You know?”
Owen nodded.
“Yeah.”
“I really do.”
Then Ethan noticed his shirt.
“You have Spider-Man too.”
Owen glanced down and smiled faintly.
“My wife bought it because she thinks I’m too old.”
“You’re not too old,” Ethan said seriously. “My grandpa likes Spider-Man.”
Owen laughed.
Ethan almost smiled.
Then his mother walked over and knelt beside him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
