“Are you coming back tonight?”

I held the wooden porch handrail with both hands to keep my weight off my right ankle.

“I need space from you, Ethan,” I said clearly.

“I need you to decide whether you’re my husband or your mother’s son.”

Linda stood behind the screen door, her shadow dark against the yellow entry light, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

Ethan looked from me to the porch screen, clearing his throat twice without saying anything.