Arthur changed too.
The garden was nearly restored by December, yet he kept finding reasons for us to visit.
A loose cabinet needed organizing.
The greenhouse needed labels.
Mrs. Alvarez apparently required two children to determine whether her cookies were edible.
Annie took that responsibility seriously.
Arthur also began inviting Helen to dinner.
Helen claimed this was because otherwise he would eat soup from Tuesday until Saturday.
Arthur claimed Helen exaggerated.
Mrs. Alvarez confirmed everything.
One evening near Christmas, Arthur gave Grace a folder.
She stared at it suspiciously.
“What now?”
“Not money.”
“Why does everyone keep giving me folders?”
“Because responsible adults use folders.”
Helen coughed into her napkin.
Arthur ignored her.
Inside was a copy of Dad’s corrected employment record.
Arthur had formally amended the company archives.
The entry no longer said terminated for misconduct.
It said separated following disputed administrative findings, later reviewed and corrected.
Attached was a letter acknowledging that Dad had raised legitimate safety concerns.
