A woman and her ex-husband have a son together. After the divorce, she took custody of their child. For a few weeks in the summer, her ex visits with his new wife. The woman goes out of her way to make them feel comfortable for the sake of her son. The four of them spend the weeks in relative peace, but she feels strange witnessing the couple's quiet tenderness. On their last night in town, her former mother-in-law flies in. They plan to have dinner together before the newlyweds jet off to their wedding party. As the woman arrives at her ex’s hotel, he asks her if his mother can stay with her for the night. She doesn’t like heights, he explains, and their room is on the top floor. Without thinking, the woman accepts the offer. He’s her ex-husband, she’s her mother-in-law, and no matter how annoying the old woman is, she’s family. Except she’s not anymore. Once inside, the woman gives him the things he forgot at her house, including an old sock. He stuffs it in his pocket, and the four of them head to the restaurant. The woman reflects on that sock—how he’d pick holes into them or peel them off while he read on their shared bed. Sometimes, that absentminded movement was accompanied by an explanation of what he was reading. Sometimes, he didn’t even know she was in the room. The woman thinks of those times as her husband and his new wife laugh during dinner and as she watches them drive to the airport the next morning. They’ll be back for another visit next summer, just as happy. It hurts her to even think about it.