Mom and I walked around Beaver Lake tonight, in the hour before sunset. She said she liked walking in the evening, that was Dad’s favorite time of day. I don’t know if that was Dad’s favorite time of day or not. And it really doesn’t matter. She tells me a lot of things I know aren’t true, and I listen and nod and smile and say, “I didn’t know that.”

At one point we rounded a bend, and I wanted to cry at how perfect everything was. It was cold, but not too cold. There were others at the lake, but not too many people. The water was still enough to be a mirror for the clouds, and darkness was slowly enveloping us. We stopped. “Look at how calm the water is, Mom. Isn’t it gorgeous?” “Yes,” she said, “it’s perfect.”