I logged into the joint account to see whether I could afford testing or a records search.

A recent transaction stopped me.

$11,400, sent late Thursday to Oak Trust Property Group.

It was roughly a quarter of the liquid savings I knew we had.

I opened the transaction details and found little beyond a payment reference.

Patrick entered in a white shirt, poured yesterday’s coffee, tasted it, and emptied it into the sink.

“What was the eleven thousand four hundred dollars?”

“A standard capital allocation.”