“I don’t delete official records, Sam.”

“You never sent him one reply,” Sam said, turning his head to look straight at me.

“If you had an open line of communication, why did you leave it dark for eight years?”

“Some lines carry too much weight for the bridge,” I said.

Sam took another careful bite of his sandwich and chewed in silence.

“He doesn’t know I scored in the ninety-ninth percentile in the regional mathematics competition,” Sam said.

“No,” I said.