PART 4 — Alive Was Not the Whole Answer

We stayed like that until Emma made a small complaint from her sleeping space.

Julian loosened his arms.

“She’ll want her feed,” he said.

He looked toward Maya, who was already checking.

I wiped my face and sat down.

There was something almost bewildering about the way our conversation could be interrupted by a baby needing an ordinary thing.

I had lived so long with an absence that seemed to demand every part of my attention.