I Finally Took My Ex-Husband’s “Three-Thousand-Dollar” Card to the Bank—Then the Manager Brought Out an Envelope with My Name

“It is very practical.”

I put the apples in a bowl and the milk in the refrigerator while she told me about her children’s day.

For once, her call did not end with a promise I knew I might not keep.

EPILOGUE — The Next Grocery List

The first morning without a school shift, I woke before the alarm anyway.

For a moment, I thought I had overslept.

Then I remembered that the coat on the chair was an ordinary coat, not something waiting to be pulled on while I drank coffee too quickly.