I could endure being portrayed as difficult.

I could not comfortably watch my grandchildren wonder whether I had chosen to stop seeing them.

I resolved to stay calm, keep records, and find a way to speak to them without turning them into messengers.

PART 9

The chance arrived unexpectedly the following Sunday.

Emma called from a number I didn’t recognize.

“Grandma?” she whispered.

Behind her I could hear a refrigerator door close and a dog bark.