Couple with Roses 1995

My brother and I had a game we played where, after being put to bed, we would wait for a short time, then sneak to the front of the house and spy on our parents.  Incorporating all of our skills learned from reading Indian and spy books, we would get just close enough so that we could hear them talking, but not so close that they would see us.  We would listen for awhile, then sneak back to bed when we got tired.  I don't think our parents were wise to us.  At any rate, nothing was ever said.

The last time we played this game we had slithered into the utility room on our bellies, then found hiding spots behind the laundry basket and the ironing board.  We could hear our parents talking in the kitchen.  We always had to muffle our laughter when we first started, and we must have done pretty well at not being heard, because the conversations always went on without any breaks.  As we settled in to listen and observe, it became clear that something wasn't right.  Our mother was crying and our father's tone of voice was somber.  I don't remember what he said, just that I went from feeling silly and happy to serious in an instant.  My brother and I lay and listened for a bit longer, then, without any overt communication between us, we crept back to bed.  My child time line isn't clear, but sometime after that my mother told us that my father would be moving out, and he did.