Help, if it came at all, arrived in short bursts, so I just had to savor it as much as I could, because I knew it would end and that would be that. I never got too comfortable or stayed too long, for fear of messing something up and having them take away the help altogether. Better to leave after they’ve been nice to me for three seconds, because what if this is a trick and staying for a full five seconds results in a punishment?
