My Stepdaughter Had Not Spoken to Me for Five Years Until a Heavy Package Arrived at My Door

were good years. Long stretches of ordinary time where the three of us were simply a family, which is the best thing a family can be, simply itself without drama or crisis. Jean would hum off-key in the kitchen while she cooked, always the same three songs she had learned from her grandmother, and Grace would steal bacon directly from the pan and I continue reading …