She had been doing that lately: leaving a little space where I could choose to accept something without calling it help.

Some days I found it considerate.

Other days it irritated me because I recognized the effort behind it.

I had been working at the school for six years.

During the last five, I had taken evening shifts at a pharmacy parking lot when they needed someone to cover the attendant’s booth.

The extra twenty or thirty dollars mattered.

So did the bus fare home.

I no longer owned a car.