She said: Dorothy. What do you want?

I said: I want my son to come visit me because he wants to see me.

She said: yes.

I said: not because he wants something.

She said: yes.

I said: if that happens, we’ll revisit.

She said: that’s the right answer.

She said: how’s the room?

I said: good light.

She said: good.

She said: I’ll be in touch.

Ruth knocked on my door at eight to ask if I wanted to watch a film in the common room.

I said yes.

She had strong opinions about that too.

Jason called the following Tuesday.

He did not mention the house.

He asked how I was settling in.

He asked about the food.

He asked if I had met anyone interesting.

I told him about Ruth.

He said: that sounds like someone you’d like.

I said: yes. She’s very direct.

He said: you’ve always liked direct people.

I said: yes.

He was quiet for a moment.

He said: Mom.

I said: yes.

He said: I think I handled things badly.

I said: yes.

He said: can I come visit?

I said: yes.

He said: this weekend?

I said: I’ll tell Ruth you’re coming.

He said: okay.

He said: Mom. The trust.

I said: let’s just have a visit first.

He said: okay.

He came on Saturday.

He brought flowers because he always brought flowers to things and had apparently decided this counted.

He sat across from me in the dining room with the good light.

We talked.

Not about the house.

About his work and his apartment and a woman he had been dating for six months who he hadn’t mentioned until now.

He talked about his father once, briefly, in the way he sometimes did when he thought I wasn’t expecting it.

He said: I think about him sometimes. What he would have been like.

I said: yes.

He said: I think about what you did. After.

I said: you were three.

He said: I know.

He stayed for three hours.

When he left he hugged me at the door of my room.

He said: I’m coming back next weekend.

I said: I’ll tell Ruth.

Some houses go into trusts before the conversation happens.

Some attorneys say I’ve seen this before and write the language that protects you.

Some dining rooms have very good light.

And some sons come back on Saturdays with flowers because they have figured out — slowly, imperfectly — what actually matters.

Let them figure it out.

Hold the door open.

But hold the trust too.

You worked two jobs for eleven years.

That deserves protection.

Margaret’s number is in your phone.