Both things can be true.”

We planned scheduled visits and calls, with Desmond supporting the arrangement rather than making it a secret deal between us.

I took a position with a nonprofit that helped families access communication resources and support services.

It paid less than the Ashcroft job but gave me a kind of purpose that did not depend on being close to wealth.

Miriam’s treatment remained complicated.

The new job allowed flexible hours, which mattered more to us than a grand apartment.