“Do you know what he promised them?”

“What promise?”

I looked at Ben’s school form.

I had not meant an old letter then.

I meant the promises fathers made in ordinary sentences: I’ll come, I’ll help, we’ll do it on Saturday.

The commitments children remembered because they needed something to expect.

Claire asked whether I wanted her to stop seeing Daniel.

“I am trying to find out what he told you,” I said.