Amanda was in the kitchen when I came home. It was eight fifteen, and she sat at the table with a mug of tea and a book, her phone resting right next to her. The kitchen smelled like the meal I’d missed. Grilled chicken, sautéed onions and peppers.

Amanda’s face, her presence, always brought me relief. I wanted, needed to see someone normal. Someone with their feet on the ground.

But she didn’t look up right away when I came through the door. She kept her eyes fixed on her book for a beat longer than normal, so I knew she was irritated by my late arrival. And I couldn’t blame her. After five years together, two of them as a married couple, we recognized the slightest ripples that passed across each other’s face. I could tell by the way her brow creased and the set of her jaw when something was bothering her. And she always spotted the way I pursed my lips or squinted my eyes as a sign of trouble.

She picked up a bookmark and stuck it in the book. “Is everything okay?”

“It is. And I’m sorry I’m late. I know I missed bedtime.”

“I was mad when you didn’t come home on time.” She tended to be philosophical and analytical about her moods, often taking a step back and examining herself from a careful distance. “I’ve been trying to get myself into a reasonable frame of mind since then.”

“I’m sorry.” I leaned down and kissed her, tasting the tea. “Mmmm. Peppermint.”

“You want some?” She wore her brown hair pulled back off her face. Her skin was clear, her lips red. The light showed the flashing brightness of her teeth when she spoke.

“No, thanks. And I really am sorry. It was my night to check on the Pig, as you know.”

“I do. I know you have obligations there.”

“And then when I was leaving, Tony—you know that kid who’s been waiting tables there for the last six months? The one with all the tattoos?”

“Don’t they all have a lot of tattoos?”

“Yes, they do. But Tony is the one with the mermaid tattoo on his arm.”

“I remember him. He’s a cute kid.”

“Well, he broke up with his boyfriend and wanted relationship advice. So I listened and gave him some. I guess he sees me as a wise old man.”

“You are to a college kid.” She winked and picked up the tea mug. “Look, I’m really not mad, okay? I think this is the first time you’ve missed putting Henry down since he was born. Life happens sometimes. You can change two diapers full of poop tomorrow to make up for it.”