At the airport she hugged me fiercely.

“You’re coming to my school show next month, right?”

“It’s already on my calendar.”

“And you have to clap even if I forget the words.”

“Especially then.”

Elena met my eyes over Willa’s head.

We shared the kind of tired smile that belongs to people who have spent several days managing snacks, travel bags, and a child’s ambitious questions.

I had never felt wealthier.