“I knew four hundred dollars vanished in one week,” I said.

“I knew enough not to go chasing it.”

Mark dried his hands on a clean dishcloth and leaned his hips back against the counter.

“I was going to pull my college registration Friday,” Mark said.

“I was going to tell the registrar I needed a year off.”

“You’re staying in school,” I said.

“I didn’t spend ten years bent over a sanding belt so you could quit.”

Mark looked down at his shoes for a second, then gave one nod.