I need to talk to Mom privately before I decide anything.”

“Understood.

If there’s any emergency, call local authorities.

Don’t try to handle an unsafe situation yourself.”

That was sound advice.

He didn’t promise to order soldiers into a private family dispute; he understood the difference between our professional responsibilities and the messy, frightening work of family life.

Wendell watched them go with the fury of a man who believed everyone had abandoned him.

He waited until the last car pulled away.