Daniel came for an agreed visit a few days later with seven yellow tulips.

There had been flowers left earlier too; this time he handed them to me at the door instead of leaving them where I had to guess their purpose.

“One for each boy,” he said.

I put them in water.

He sat at the kitchen table and helped Ben find a shoe.

For a while he knew exactly what to do: where the jacket hung, which lace had to be loosened, which little question needed an answer.

“I’ve been thinking about them,” he said.