It wasn’t a final message or a secret instruction, just a note she had written for an anniversary and forgotten to give him.

The last paragraph said she loved his determination but wished he’d occasionally come home while there was still daylight.

“A life can be full on paper and lonely at the table,” she wrote.

“Don’t wait until you’ve earned the right to enjoy it.”

Nathaniel sat with the note for a long time.

Then he took out his phone and called Ruth.

“Could we have breakfast tomorrow?” he asked.