She Paid a Stranded Biker’s Gas, and Three Days Later Everything Changed

repainting the front hall, Alicia found him standing alone in the doorway to the quiet room, looking at the line of children’s art taped along the wall.

One picture showed a lopsided house with six stick figures and a giant red sun. Another was all green spirals. Another was a wheelchair with wings.

Jake kept his eyes on the drawings.

“My mama used to continue reading …