Before I left, Mara asked me a question that seemed oddly simple: “What would make the next seven days easier?”

I had arrived expecting to discuss a legal crisis.

Instead, I found myself naming ordinary things.

An uninterrupted stretch of sleep.

Knowing when Lucas would visit.

Having enough money in the right account to cover prescriptions without asking anyone’s permission.

Being able to take a shower without listening for someone to demand where dinner was.

Mara wrote the practical items down.