Julian and Maya divided the work without trying to prove which parent could do more.

I stayed nearby until they asked for a cloth.

Then I fetched it.

The plan was ordinary enough that I had not spent the morning imagining what could go wrong.

I had cleared a table, opened a window, and bought biscuits.

I wanted the afternoon to be pleasant, not perfect.

My sister took the photographs in the sitting room where Maya had first brought the babies inside.

That had not been arranged for symbolism.