Inside was a thank-you card she’d made for the school librarian.

She asked me whether the spelling of ‘appreciate’ was correct.

I sat beside her and sounded out the word.

My life had become much larger on paper, yet the most important moments were still small enough to fit at the kitchen table.

“Do you have to be a boss at the tall building?” she asked.

“Sometimes I have to make decisions.

Mostly I have to listen and learn.”