The two of them sat at the kitchen table and talked for half an hour. The papers Alexandra delivered proved to be an assembled written plan for their trip to Singapore, come a week from Sunday.
“Almost every department contributed to this,” Alexandra said. “And if you ask the right people, it’s a big deal.”
They laughed at that while I quietly contemplated another ten-day absence for Mother. I had lived through several and only remembered one or two. If there was reward at all, it happened upon her return. It was never the bobbles nor the traditional beads and sequined silk gown still feeding moths in my closet. I was not designed for dresses like that. Instead, Mom told me stories of her trips when prodded. They were never elaborate stories, but I made them so in my notebooks when I was
