On the fifteenth night, Sofia called Miguel and said, "I understand now why I used to resent the calls." Miguel stiffened. "What does that mean?"
"Not you calling. The way we used calls as proof everything was okay. Fifteen minutes of talking about homework and groceries, then we both hung up and acted like we'd connected. We didn't talk about being lonely because we were scared it would sound ungrateful."
Miguel leaned against the steel wall of the communications room. "I was lonely too." "I know." "I didn't sleep with anyone."
Sofia closed her eyes on the screen. "I know. I'm not saying we did the same thing." That distinction allowed the conversation to continue.
For the first time, Miguel admitted how much offshore work had become part of his identity beyond money. His father had moved from job to job when Miguel was a child, often leaving the family financially unstable. Miguel had promised himself he would be different: steady, skilled, insured, promotable, able to pay for college before Lucia knew what college cost. Every extra rotation felt like evidence he was doing fatherhood correctly. He had not wanted to consider that a man could provide stability financially while creating instability through absence.