“And when Meredith tried to give you something that couldn’t be measured?” Helen asked.

“I didn’t know what to do with it.”

She nodded, without absolving me.

“My daughter learned a different lesson.

She watched Thomas nearly lose everything, and she thought love meant never adding to someone’s burden.

When you sounded worried about your company, she stopped telling you what she needed.”

We sat quietly for a while.

A server brought our sandwiches.