A paper towel sat folded near the sink.

I noticed those ordinary things because I needed somewhere to look that wasn’t my son’s face.

He had been trying to make sense of something without the freedom to ask about it.

Dana stopped when he seemed tired.

I wanted to know whether there were other occasions, but asking everything immediately would have made my need larger than his.

I thanked him for speaking.

“You haven’t done anything wrong,” I said.