“Allison has her early admissions interviews next month in Boston.”

“Forty-five thousand dollars a semester doesn’t pay for itself.”

“She has prep courses and housing deposits due by Friday.”

“We can’t sacrifice her timeline.”

I stared at the legal paperwork on the desk.

Bright blue sticky tabs marked five different signature lines.

“So you just sign that, and I’m not yours anymore,” I said.

“It’s a legal distinction,” Richard said.