“And no peas?”

“No peas.”

He smiled and went to find his school bag.

I washed the plates while the kitchen cooled around me.

The empty chair stayed where it was.

I didn’t move it to pretend Victor had never lived there, and I didn’t ask Noah to sit somewhere else because its usual occupant was absent.

It was a chair at our table.

He could use it if he wanted.

The next morning, he opened the refrigerator while I made toast.

He took out what he wanted, set a plate on the counter, and checked whether the eggs were ready.

I put them on the table.

He poured his milk.

Then he set the carton between us and started eating.