The attempted authority in the unsigned draft did not become real because someone had printed it neatly or placed a tab beside my name.

There were costs, disrupted days at work, and more telephone calls than I wanted.

I still had ordinary financial responsibilities.

Keeping my home did not erase the mortgage or provide money I had never earned.

It did let me plan for the bills as mine, in a house whose future I could decide.

I moved the important originals to secure storage and kept the copies needed for daily life.

I did not spend every night opening the folder to make certain the words had not changed.