“I can’t answer for what’s in his heart,” I said.

“But love doesn’t require you to be frightened of your own signature.”

She was quiet for a long time.

“That’s what I was trying not to know,” she said.

PART 11: The Drawer That Was Not Empty

A civil standby was arranged so Ruth could retrieve essential belongings.

A local officer explained the limits of the process: they were there to keep the peace, not to settle who owned what.

Miriam had already prepared a list of items Ruth could claim without dispute.