I was learning that I could remain in the room without pretending everything in it had been repaired.

EPILOGUE — Strawberries in the Grass

On the twins’ second birthday, Daniel tied decorations to the fence while I brought the strawberries outside.

“That one’s backward,” I told him.

“It’s a birthday decoration.

It doesn’t have a backward.”

“The number two does.”

He looked at it, turned it around, and held out his hand for another length of string.