45
Old and new friends. 1976
Thomas Hill’s visits to Emilee and Caitlynn became more frequent than the arrival of the union checks. At first, he dropped in at random. It took weeks for him to realize how determined Emilee was—how adamant she was with her walking schedule and studying. To him, it seemed she was always at the library. Mother and daughter were away for the best part of the day. And when he found them at home, Emilee was the one who cut his visits short. It was always Caitlynn she claimed who had to be put to bed.
Soon she filled a size-six dress again—no more training bras. Thomas’s eyes confirmed he had noticed it too. There were no more dizzy spells or stumbling over sidewalks—all small wins, little mercies that appeared weekly.
Perhaps it was his doctoral-fellow backgr
