PART 16

Hannah and I had not spoken about our marriage at length since the greenhouse meeting.

We talked about immunizations, preschool schedules, shoes, and how to help Elias when he became overwhelmed in noisy places.

There was a kind of calm in those practical conversations, but beneath it lay seven years we had never honestly examined.

One rainy afternoon I asked whether we could speak without the children present.

We met at a coffee shop near her home.