I had designed that scheduling system years earlier.

It still worked.

I felt an unexpected grief for the version of myself who had believed good work would eventually make my family proud.

That evening Silas cooked dinner.

He asked how the visit went, listened to my answer, and said only, “That sounds hard.” I had spent years hearing people tell me what I should feel.

His refusal to instruct me was beginning to feel like love, though I was not ready to use the word aloud.

PART 14