I turned away, throat tight. Six hundred dollars hadn’t bought a home. It had bought her father a bed. It had bought her a future.
I cleared my throat. “It’s a start. But that cord will melt by midnight. And that heater won’t keep you warm.”
Her face fell. “I can’t afford—”
“I didn’t ask you to afford it,” I said. “Tomorrow, ten a.m. I’ll install a proper inlet, breaker box, safe outlets. And I’ll bring you a radiator. It’ll keep you warm.”
I left her standing in her little yellow box of hope. I thought I knew what a home was. Turns out, she knew better. It’s not the walls—it’s the reason for them.