alone.
Our visits had become shorter but calmer.
He no longer glanced toward the console table searching for an envelope.
He entered the kitchen and froze.
Half the old cabinets were gone.
Tile samples covered the dining table.
A contractor measured the wall beside the sink.
“Mom, what happened?”
“I’m remodeling.”
His eyebrows rose.
“The whole kitchen?”
“Pretty much.”
I gave him coffee.
“I’ve wanted quartz counters and a farmhouse sink for years.”
“That costs a fortune.”
“It costs less when I’m no longer subsidizing another household.”
He looked into
