Leon set down the razor. He came and crouched in front of the boy, his knees cracking, until their eyes were level.
“Your daddy didn’t forget you,” he said. “The sickness did. That’s different. It’s not your fault and it’s not about you. You hear me?”
Jayden looked at the floor. “How do you know?”
Leon was quiet for a moment. Across the room Odell Pettiford had gone very interested in his newspaper.
“Because I had it too,” Leon said. “A long time ago, before your mama was as big as you.”
Jayden’s eyes came up, huge. “You did?”