‘It’s how we get between our homes,’ Eli explained.

‘The bridge doesn’t make the houses the same.’

Naomi smiled from the kitchen.

The drawing was better than any speech.

Their boys were learning that families could be connected without pretending that the past had been simple.

And the adults were learning it too.

PART 23: The Place at the Table

The following Christmas, Naomi hosted dinner in a brighter apartment she had chosen herself.