I Canceled Seven Hundred Dollars After Christmas Night Left My Daughter Alone in the Dark

“The tenth of February,” I said.

“Can we pay for a lawyer for both of these?” Evan asked.

“No,” I said.

“We can’t afford a lawyer for either one of them.”

“Will the school hold an official compliance hearing before the small claims court date?” Evan asked.

“The school meeting comes first,” I said.

“If we lose Lucy’s file at the school on the twenty-fourth, the court claim won’t matter at all.”

I laid the civil court papers flat on the nightstand next to the brass reading lamp.