“You already did more than—”

He shook his head gently.

“You can thank me another day.”

There was comfort in the assumption that another day would arrive and I could do something ordinary in it.

Later in the response, after the supply had been isolated and entry could be assessed by the crews, Reyes came out carrying James’s damaged suitcase.

I stood up, but she motioned me to stay back while it was set with the recovered belongings.

“Your husband did something useful,” she told me.