Amanda is falling apart. Come home and fix this.
Every message asked me to repair the consequences of decisions they had made without me.
For once, I did not feel guilty.
I turned the phone off again.
On Christmas Eve, Paula and I visited the town market.
We walked slowly, without a schedule or list of things other people expected us to buy.
I chose a simple bracelet woven in shades of blue and green.
It was not expensive.
But it was something I had selected for myself simply because I liked it.
That afternoon, we sat beneath an umbrella on the beach.
Paula read while I watched the waves.
No children argued.
No adult asked where the serving spoons were.
No one complained about food, gifts, or schedules.
That evening, we prepared fresh pasta, vegetables, salad, and local wine.
We ate on the terrace as the sunset turned the sky orange and pink.
