“They need their mother to keep her job and their school routine to stay normal.

They need a roof and familiar voices and bedtime at eight.

Their needs aren’t a shopping list you can solve before lunch, Carter.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t.

But you might learn.”

When she ended the call, I stood there with my useless gift and finally understood how thoroughly I had been trained to mistake spending for repairing.

My whole life, an uncomfortable conversation had been followed by a transfer, a reservation, or a new watch.