“The truth.

Written down so they can measure it.”

He put the bucket on the counter and opened the bottom drawer of the old kitchen dresser.

Beneath a pile of seed catalogs was a ledger bound in green cloth.

The pages were covered in my mother’s precise handwriting.

Each Friday had a date, a rough count of boxes, and the initials of a family or institution.

Some entries were followed by notes about dietary restrictions or how many children lived in the household.