“Daniel was invited to sit next to me at the head table tonight, Eleanor.”

“Daniel has dignity,” she said, setting her mug down on the table without a sound.

“He doesn’t need applause from strangers to know what he’s worth in this world.”

I stood by the sink, studying her sharp profile in the dim light from the microwave.

“I pay the bills that keep this light on, Eleanor,” I said.

“Money doesn’t buy wisdom, child,” she said, raising her eyes to me for the first time, cold and narrow.

“A woman who puts her job ahead of her home will soon find she has neither one.”