“You look… lighter,” she says. “Happy. Is it the no state tax that has you smiling so much?” “I’m happy sometimes. It’s not a constant state of doom and gloom inside my head.” “Sometimes?” she asks. “What’s the determining factor?” My eyes meet hers, and she doesn’t look away. I tilt my head to the side and give her the honest answer, the one I’m more and more sure of every time she’s around. “You,” I say. “What do you mean me?” “I’m far happier on the days I get to see you, Josephine, than the days when I don’t get to see you.”
