She asked about school, the Career Club, and whether she could still have Sunday pancakes with him.

We answered the questions we could and promised not to invent answers to the ones we could not yet settle.

I moved into a small rental house nearby with a sunlit kitchen and an extra room Selena immediately claimed for projects.

The rent was manageable with my work and a careful budget.

The move was not glamorous.

We borrowed a truck from Nadia’s brother and spent three evenings assembling furniture.

On our first night, the kitchen sink dripped.