But this time the celebration had been planned openly, with clear expectations, and my contribution wasn’t a payment for belonging.

I was not pretending the previous Christmas had never happened.

I was choosing to see whether the people involved could build something better with the truth.

PART 23

Snow fell again on Christmas Eve, though it was lighter than the storm I remembered.

I woke early and prepared apple pie, then sat with a book instead of spending the whole morning rushing between errands.

At four o’clock I heard a car pull into the driveway.