I left it in the dish.

Then walked into the study and switched off Arthur’s lamp.

For years, I’d thought home was wherever someone finally invited me to stay.

Now I understood that Arthur had given me something different.

He’d given me a home I could care for, make decisions about, and share on my own terms.

I closed the study door.

The latch clicked.

Outside, the new porch board rested beside the old one.