I kept my job at the hardware store during the day because I needed the income and because I did not yet know whether the farm would survive what I was about to do to it. At night I drove the two hours back to the property or stayed over in one of the upstairs bedrooms after helping Helena secure locks, file forms, sort records, and identify which residents needed what first.
Helena became my partner in everything almost against both our wills.
At first we grated on each other constantly. I wanted protocols, written expectations, intake forms, schedules, legal names cross-referenced with aliases and emergency contacts. Helena wanted food in the pantry, boots by the door, and a way to tell from somebody’s shoulders whether she needed sleep, silence, or a witness before any paperwork. She thought I was too formal. I thought she moved on instinct where systems were needed. We were both right.
It turned out that was useful.
The first time Natalie returned from town with her little boy on her hip, I understood even more clearly what George had been protecting.