“Five.”

“How many?”

“Five.”

“That’s not a lot.” I check my phone. Still off.

“It’s better than nothing.” You drop one of the boxes of cereal. I reach to help. “Stop.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“But I am.”

“But don’t be.”

I am. Not about the cereal. You crouch down and lift it up with your working left hand. You don’t need my help. And I don’t need your help. But it’s nice to have it, sometimes. Even if I don’t need it. Sometimes it’s nice just to know that someone is there.

I hoist myself up onto the counter. “If it were up to me, there’d be more than five different kinds.”

“Why would you need more than five different kinds of lucky charms?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’d feel a bit luckier.