Bubbles transformed the house without replacing the man who had filled it. He knocked pens from tables, attacked shoelaces, and demanded breakfast before sunrise. His presence gave Clara new routines when her old ones felt unbearable. Caring for him required her to rise, shop, cook, and speak aloud daily.
She told Bubbles stories about Henry while preparing dinner each evening. The cat listened from Henry’s chair, blinking whenever she paused. Clara knew she was assigning meaning to ordinary movements. Still, those conversations softened the silence. They allowed Henry’s name to remain part of life instead of becoming only history.