“Ben, try again. You mustn’t be afraid.”
Once, I even heard my grandson quietly say:
“Grandpa, I can’t. Please, don’t make me do it again.”
My heart tightened.
When I tried to enter the room, the door was locked from the inside.
Robert didn’t open it until several minutes later.
His forehead was covered in sweat, and Ben was standing in the corner with his head lowered.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked.
“It’s men’s business, Margaret. Don’t worry about it,” my husband replied.
His words only made me more suspicious.
Over the next few days, Ben changed.
He wasn’t as talkative as before. Whenever his grandfather called him, he would immediately look at me before silently following Robert.
One evening, I noticed my grandson’s little hands trembling.
“Sweetheart, what does Grandpa do with you in that room?”
Ben turned pale.