In Front of an Empty Stall, I Found My Parents Sleeping on Cardboard. Shocked, I Asked, “Where Is the House I Bought for You?” My Mother Burst Into Tears and Said, “Your Husband and His Family Kicked Us Out.”

healed more slowly. My father began walking every morning, first to the corner, then around the block, then to the park. My mother replanted basil, mint, and scallions by the back steps. She still startled whenever cars stopped too long in front of the house. My father kept every receipt and every document in a labeled folder, as though paper could continue reading …