I Woke Up From Surgery Alone And Learned My Children Had Been Left On A Porch

the door now,” I said. “You don’t need a key for something that’s already closed.”

I shut the door. The new deadbolt clicked into place. Brass against brass, clean and final and entirely mine.

Through the kitchen window I could see the backyard catching the afternoon light, and through the interior doorway, Oliver at the table with his crayons, tongue continue reading …