“He says every bit of it is for Maya.”

At half past five Frank carried his coffee out to the porch, where I was moving the mums off the step.

He set the cup on the rail and put both broad palms flat on the wood.

“Nora.

Let me say a plain thing to you.”

“All right.”

“Julian has been carrying an unbearable financial burden because of your choices.” He said it without heat, the way he used to tell a customer a part had been discontinued.

“That’s what he tells us.