Carol? Caitlin's at school. She'd been out and I was alone in the house. It felt strange, but not really bad. Just quiet. And I had to keep my head down because of the noise from upstairs. The kids were still there. I sat on the couch with a book. It was old, like I remembered it being years ago. Later I turned around and saw that Caitlin had gone downstairs. She must have been doing something she liked better than sitting here. But I couldn't help feeling guilty about leaving her alone while I went to get some water. I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of milk. Then I looked at my phone again. There was one new message from Caitlin: "Hey mom, sorry if this is weird but could you come down? I think I need help with something." I smiled as I read it. That was cute—she knew exactly what to do. I put on some jeans and a t-shirt before heading back up the stairs again. When I got there, she was already standing by the door waiting for me.