Marge and Bill Halloran from church came next, with a casserole nobody needed.
And at ten past seven, Ray Kessler knocked on the front door, wearing a corduroy jacket and carrying a small wrapped box.
"Happy birthday, Derek," he said, shaking my husband's hand. "Nora invited me. Hope that's all right. Your father-in-law and I go back a long way."
Derek's smile flickered for half a second. Then he clapped Ray on the shoulder. "Of course, Ray! The more the merrier."
Lorraine, from the kitchen doorway, watched Ray with narrow eyes.
I took his coat and hung it in the hall closet. He leaned toward me and murmured, without moving his lips, "Laptop's connected. TV's ready. Ruiz is at the end of the block."
"Thank you," I whispered.
In the closet, behind Eli's snow boots, was a canvas tote bag. Inside it were eleven manila folders that Tamika had assembled the night before.
I straightened my dress.
We sat down to dinner.
For an hour, it was almost normal.
Lorraine's roast was perfect. Kyle told a story about a fishing trip. Marge described her gallbladder recovery in grisly detail. Jenna laughed and passed the potatoes. Bill Halloran fell asleep sitting up.
Every few minutes, one of them glanced at me. Just a quick glance, a soft one. Like people looking at something fragile.
I let them.
I stared at my plate. I picked at my food. I let my eyes go glassy.
At a quarter to nine, after the plates were cleared but before the cake, Derek stood up and tapped his glass with a fork.
"Everybody," he said. His voice was warm and a little shaky. "Thank you for coming. It means the world to me to have my family here on my fortieth birthday."
Murmurs of approval.
"But I'd be lying if I said this was easy." He looked down at the table, and I watched him summon the tears. He was very good. "Some of you know that Nora hasn't been herself lately."
The room went still.
"Derek," Kyle said, uncomfortable.
"No, it's okay. It's time." He reached for my hand, and I let him take it. His palm was damp. "My wife is the love of my life. But for the past six weeks she's been struggling. She's had memory problems. She's been confused. She's forgotten Eli at school. She's left the stove on. I'm terrified for her."