the dollar store. Kora used to steal them to draw horses in the margins. Theo, who was six, thought the pads were boring. Wyatt, who was four, mostly liked the sound of the pages turning.
We didn’t have much, but we had a rhythm, and that rhythm held us together. School drop-off at eight, work until midnight, lunches packed the night before so no one was late. I kept a budget for groceries, gas, and even the dentist three months ahead.
I told myself I could carry anything if I
