A later line said he had “graciously stepped aside” so I could “make a modern statement.”

He was preparing to describe his refusal as generosity.

In front of two hundred people, my father intended to turn the choice he made under Vanessa’s pressure into a touching story about my independence.

“May I keep this?” I asked Helen.

“Of course.

The coordinator has a copy.

She hasn’t introduced anything yet.”

I found the coordinator, Ruth, near the catering station.