PART 27

A reporter from a local blog called the hospital trying to turn Saturday into a gadget story: child smartwatch saves the day.

The hospital gave no comment.

The reporter found my number anyway.

I said no.

My son’s lungs were not content.

The watch company sent a coupon. I threw it away. I will pay for a tool that calls for help. I will not let a brand wear his afternoon like a testimonial.

Ms. Grant called to say that was the right instinct.

“Children become symbols too easily,” she said. “Keep him a person.”

I kept him a person.

We went to the library. We lost a library book and paid the fine. We argued about bedtime. We lived the dull sacred schedule of a house that had decided excitement was not the same thing as love.