“I should have asked more questions,” he said.

“So should I.”

He asked whether he could meet Willa.

I told him that depended on Elena and on Willa’s comfort.

He nodded, disappointed but accepting.

It was a small sign that our family might be learning a new way to behave.

My brother, Graham, called that night from Seattle.

“You don’t have to defend Mom because she’s Mom,” he said.