“Good.”

He put the twenty-six-dollar receipt down between us.

It was not exciting.

It was useful.

After weeks in which every paper seemed capable of changing the family, a modest expense with a clear date and purpose felt like something we could handle.

EPILOGUE — A Date in Pencil

At 5:40, Claire came onto the duplex porch carrying the small cedar box.

She set it between us and opened it.