My father stood up at the lake house dinner and raised his glass in fr…

for a family that does not include me in its headcount.”

She looked at me for a moment.

“That is a very precise way to say it.”

“I am a tax analyst,” I said. “Precision is what I have.”

She asked what I planned to do about Claire’s birthday.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing,” she repeated.

“I’m going to send flowers and a card. I am not going to attend. I am not going continue reading …