“And I could have asked him to explain instead of looking back at my travel list.”

“Yes.”

She allowed both statements to stand.

That was harder than receiving reassurance and more useful than being blamed.

I could love him and still be angry that he had tried to handle it quietly.

I could regret my own inattention without deciding it caused everything that happened.

Around dawn, a utility representative began arranging copies of the earlier complaint records.

Reyes explained that the originals in our house would need to be compared with the company’s entries.