He looked down at the table for a moment.

Sarah, he said, you are not taking back money they already spent.

I pushed the utility bill toward him.

They count on it, I said.

So do we, he said, and the refrigerator clicked on behind us into the silence that left.

He gathered the receipts into a stack and squared the corners against the table, and he said, once more, quietly, ask them.

I picked up my phone.