Chapter 15 - Six Inches of Open Door
Six months later, Julia and Lily lived above a hardware store in Webb City. The pipes knocked, rent rose, and Julia worked mornings while studying bookkeeping at night. Sadie slept beside Lily's desk during homework. Frank came to supervised visits and never asked forgiveness. He brought plain sandwiches because shared dinners still felt like traps. Margaret sold Nate's tools and began court-required therapy for contact. She sent no gifts and received no invitation. On Lily's twelfth birthday, Julia cooked pot roast in a dented blue pan. She asked before setting the table. Lily chose three places: hers, Julia's, and one for Frank, due at six. At five fifty-eight, someone stopped outside the apartment. No knock came. Sadie lifted her head. Through the peephole, Julia saw Margaret alone with empty hands, standing exactly beyond the distance the order required. Lily tapped the table three times. Julia quietly unlocked the deadbolt, opened the door six inches, and kept her body in the gap.
