I looked at her.

“That’s precisely why I’d prefer not to remember the conversation incorrectly.”

For the first time, she didn’t answer.

I folded the receipt into thirds and put it in my pocket.

My mother had taught me that habit.

She folded letters, shopping lists, and appointment slips the same way.

When I was little, she’d let me help organize the household documents on Sunday afternoons.

I still carried a small framed photograph of her in my travel bag.