Elena’s work had changed since I knew her.

She now ran a tiny restoration studio in partnership with the library and taught workshops on paper repair.

I visited one afternoon while Willa was at preschool.

Her hands moved with the same confidence I’d remembered as she softened a damaged book spine and eased a new strip of cloth into place.

“Does it ever bother you that people won’t notice the repair?” I asked.

“That’s the point,” she said.