Callum read it and smiled in a way that made his eyes shine.

He told her that cheering was a very important skill and he intended to be the loudest person on the sidelines.

She wrote back, You have to promise not to shout my embarrassing nickname.

He made no such promise.

They negotiated until she permitted him to say it exactly once, at a volume suitable for normal conversation.

I watched them seal the agreement with a handshake.

So much of the past year had been about what our family could no longer do.