I did it.”

He leaned the ruler against the wall and looked toward the empty stairs.

I could almost see him realizing how many ordinary moments he had missed while chasing larger ones.

Then he asked whether I could take over the payments on one car until refinancing went through.

I told him no.

Sarah had been explicit that informal assistance could undermine our agreement and leave me exposed without resolving the problem.

“I can’t fix this with another transfer,” I said.