“I would have been disappointed, but we could have talked.

It was being treated like an intruder that broke something.” Claire stared into her tea.

She said she knew.

After a while she opened the folder and showed me a budget she’d made.

They had canceled a planned vacation, reduced extracurricular expenses that weren’t essential, and contacted their mortgage lender about the payment that month.

Daniel was angry about selling his second vehicle.

Claire said she had taken additional hours at work.