\u201cYou\u2019re not taking my factory,\u201d Grant snapped when he saw the revised settlement.<\/p>\n
It was Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
Three days after he\u2019d announced his exciting new life.<\/p>\n
Lorraine sat beside him wearing pearls and an expression that suggested she\u2019d already decided I was crazy.<\/p>\n
Dennis stood behind Grant\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n
I placed two folders on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe factory belongs to your company,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe equipment doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant flipped through the pages.<\/p>\n
His smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
The agreement listed the three CNC machines, two inspection systems, vehicle title, existing equipment debt, and the terms for separating our real estate interests.<\/p>\n
There was also an agreement between our businesses.<\/p>\n
Grant\u2019s company would surrender the leased equipment within seventy-two hours, in exchange for a negotiated release of certain overdue lease charges.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d given up money to make the separation clean.<\/p>\n
But I wasn\u2019t giving up my property.<\/p>\n
Lorraine grabbed the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is outrageous!<\/p>\n
You\u2019re trying to destroy everything my son worked for!\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything he worked for?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s interesting, considering you just told me I\u2019d contributed nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her mouth opened.<\/p>\n
Nothing came out.<\/p>\n
A small miracle.<\/p>\n
Grant threw the folder down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll replace the machines.<\/p>\n
I can get financing tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you shouldn\u2019t have a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon had advised me not to debate the paperwork at home.<\/p>\n
Grant had been given financial disclosures and an opportunity to consult his own lawyer.<\/p>\n
In fact, he\u2019d spent the previous afternoon with one.<\/p>\n
Apparently, he\u2019d ignored some inconvenient advice.<\/p>\n
He wanted the separation completed quickly enough to start introducing Kenzie as his future wife.<\/p>\n
He signed the negotiated agreement that afternoon with counsel present.<\/p>\n
I signed mine.<\/p>\n
The house would be dealt with through an agreed sale or refinancing process.<\/p>\n
My separate property would stay separate.<\/p>\n
His business would remain his responsibility.<\/p>\n
And the equipment would come home.<\/p>\n
That evening, Grant walked through the townhouse carrying a bouquet of white roses.<\/p>\n
For one stupid second, I thought they were for me.<\/p>\n
Then he took a picture and sent it to Kenzie.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe loves these,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
I almost admired the efficiency of his cruelty.<\/p>\n
Almost.<\/p>\n
By Saturday morning, professional movers had removed my clearly identified personal belongings.<\/p>\n
Grant stood in the driveway watching a driver load my Tahoe onto a transport trailer.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?<\/p>\n
The truck too?\u201d<\/p>\n
I held up the title.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been driving my vehicle for four years.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnbelievable.<\/p>\n
You\u2019re nickel-and-diming me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant, it\u2019s a forty-thousand-dollar vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
He started to respond.<\/p>\n
Then his phone rang.<\/p>\n
Kenzie.<\/p>\n
His face immediately softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked past him.<\/p>\n
My suitcase rolled over the concrete.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t turn around.<\/p>\n
By the time I reached my short-term apartment in Milwaukee\u2019s Third Ward, Simon had already sent the equipment surrender instructions to Grant\u2019s company and its floor manager.<\/p>\n
A professional rigging crew was scheduled.<\/p>\n
The transfer would happen with plant personnel present.<\/p>\n
No screaming.<\/p>\n
No trespassing.<\/p>\n
No shortcuts.<\/p>\n
Just signatures, inventory numbers, and machinery leaving a building.<\/p>\n
At 8:43 that night, Grant texted me.<\/p>\n
Hope you\u2019re happy.<\/p>\n
You got your little victory.<\/p>\n
I set my phone beside the kitchen sink.<\/p>\n
Then another message appeared.<\/p>\n
This one was from Luis Romero, the factory\u2019s longtime floor manager.<\/p>\n
Elise, did Grant really agree to give up all three machines?<\/p>\n
I answered yes.<\/p>\n
Three dots appeared.<\/p>\n
Disappeared.<\/p>\n
Then came his reply.<\/p>\n
Then I don\u2019t think he understands what happens Monday morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cShut everything down.<\/p>\n
Those machines don\u2019t belong to us anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis said those words at 7:12 Monday morning.<\/p>\n
According to him, Grant was standing beside the loading dock holding a Starbucks cup when the news finally registered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis handed him the equipment surrender schedule.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour wife owns the machines, boss.<\/p>\n
You signed the paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s my ex-wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoesn\u2019t change the serial numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n
I arrived forty minutes later with Simon, Celia Park, our equipment specialist, and an insured rigging crew.<\/p>\n
Grant was waiting near the entrance.<\/p>\n
His face was almost purple.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou planned this!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo humiliate me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo collect my property.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re ruining my business because I fell in love with someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced toward the workers standing beside the silent machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Grant.<\/p>\n
Your business is in trouble because you spent five years treating borrowed equipment and somebody else\u2019s money like permanent gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few operators looked away.<\/p>\n
Grant noticed.<\/p>\n
That embarrassed him more than anything I\u2019d said.<\/p>\n
Celia checked the serial numbers while technicians disconnected the machines.<\/p>\n
The high mechanical whine slowly faded.<\/p>\n
One by one, the milling centers went quiet.<\/p>\n
The factory smelled of cutting oil and warm steel.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d spent hundreds of hours inside those walls.<\/p>\n
Once, I had loved that sound.<\/p>\n
Now every minute of silence felt strangely expensive.<\/p>\n
Grant grabbed his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling the bank.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
He dialed his commercial lender.<\/p>\n
I watched his confident posture change during the conversation.<\/p>\n
First irritation.<\/p>\n
Then confusion.<\/p>\n
Then panic.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I told you the machinery was ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, technically, it\u2019s leased.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean that changes the collateral review?\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned away.<\/p>\n
I looked at Simon.<\/p>\n
Simon said nothing.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t need to.<\/p>\n
When Grant hung up, his hands were shaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bank won\u2019t approve the new equipment loan without updated financial statements.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen update them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t meet the debt coverage requirements without production.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like something you should discuss with your accountant.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at me.<\/p>\n
Behind him, a forklift beeped twice.<\/p>\n
The first CNC machine rolled toward the loading doors.<\/p>\n
Grant looked like someone watching his own house being dismantled.<\/p>\n
Then Kenzie arrived.<\/p>\n
Pink coat.<\/p>\n
Designer sunglasses.<\/p>\n
A white Mercedes parked crookedly beside the employee entrance.<\/p>\n
She rushed toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant, your mom says Elise is stealing everything!\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenzie, I\u2019m standing right here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stopped.<\/p>\n
For a second, she looked exactly nineteen.<\/p>\n
Then she recovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t punish him just because he chose someone younger.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweetheart, the equipment is older than you.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve got the invoices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luis made a choking noise behind his clipboard.<\/p>\n
Kenzie flushed.<\/p>\n
Grant grabbed her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow.\u201d<\/p>\n
By noon, the three machines were loaded.<\/p>\n
Every item had been inventoried.<\/p>\n
Every transfer document was signed.<\/p>\n
The crew pulled out of the industrial park in a line of flatbeds.<\/p>\n
I stayed long enough to speak privately with Luis.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow bad is payroll?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cFriday\u2019s going to be ugly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gave him contact information for two manufacturers looking for experienced machinists.<\/p>\n
Not a rescue plan.<\/p>\n
Just somewhere for people to send applications.<\/p>\n
Luis looked at the cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
As I walked toward my car, Grant appeared behind me.<\/p>\n
His voice was quiet now.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t what I expected.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the empty loading bay.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither was dinner last Tuesday.\u201d<\/p>\n
His jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
I opened my car door.<\/p>\n
Then he said something that made me turn around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you\u2019d always take care of the business.\u201d<\/p>\n
For once, he wasn\u2019t pretending.<\/p>\n
And that was somehow worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour selfishness is putting twenty-three families out of work!\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorraine screamed into my voicemail.<\/p>\n
That was Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Two days after the equipment removal.<\/p>\n
I was eating a turkey sandwich at my kitchen counter when the fourth message arrived.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d apparently forgotten that her son was the employer.<\/p>\n
Not me.<\/p>\n
By Thursday, Grant\u2019s biggest customer had suspended new orders because the factory couldn\u2019t guarantee production dates.<\/p>\n
Two suppliers put his account on credit hold.<\/p>\n
The bank refused an additional advance until it completed its review.<\/p>\n
And the employees were asking whether they\u2019d receive their paychecks.<\/p>\n
Then Simon called.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise, we need to discuss something.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put down my sandwich.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lender found discrepancies in some of Grant\u2019s earlier equipment disclosures.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat kind of discrepancies?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe appears to have included your leased machines in a schedule describing company-owned assets.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
A grocery list was still attached with a little red magnet.<\/p>\n
Milk.<\/p>\n
Eggs.<\/p>\n
Coffee.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, my former husband had apparently been using my machines to make his company look wealthier than it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he forge anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
The bank is investigating.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t contact him about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
But Grant contacted me.<\/p>\n
At 11:26 that night.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise, please.<\/p>\n
I need a hundred thousand dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat upright.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPayroll.<\/p>\n
Suppliers.<\/p>\n
Just until I get financing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant, the bank already declined your request.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen loan it personally.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
He had spent five years telling his parents I was a useless housewife.<\/p>\n
Now he wanted the useless housewife to write a six-figure check.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you seriously going to let everything collapse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me it was your company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen run it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He went silent.<\/p>\n
A long silence.<\/p>\n
Then he whispered, \u201cKenzie says you\u2019re doing this because you\u2019re jealous.\u201d<\/p>\n
That did make me laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenzie should probably focus on finding a new job.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ended the call.<\/p>\n
The following Monday, Lorraine and Dennis appeared at Simon\u2019s office demanding a meeting.<\/p>\n
Simon invited them into a conference room.<\/p>\n
I attended because I wanted this finished.<\/p>\n
Lorraine wore the same pearl necklace she\u2019d worn during my humiliation.<\/p>\n
But there was no smile now.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise, we may have been unkind,\u201d she began.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnkind?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dennis cleared his throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s not argue over words.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told me I was worthless because I hadn\u2019t given your son a child.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stared at the table.<\/p>\n
Lorraine squeezed her handbag.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were celebrating.\u201d<\/p>\n
She started crying.<\/p>\n
Not when she\u2019d hurt me.<\/p>\n
Not when her son cheated.<\/p>\n
Only when his money disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe could lose everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell him to stop blaming me and start dealing with his creditors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dennis suddenly slammed his hand on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all we\u2019ve done for you!\u201d<\/p>\n
Simon spoke before I could.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr.<\/p>\n
Barlow, this meeting is over.\u201d<\/p>\n
They left without another word.<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, Grant\u2019s company stopped operating.<\/p>\n
The remaining employees were laid off.<\/p>\n
Luis called to tell me he\u2019d accepted a job at another shop.<\/p>\n
A few others found positions through the contacts I\u2019d shared.<\/p>\n
I was relieved.<\/p>\n
But I didn\u2019t pretend every family had landed safely.<\/p>\n
Then I heard the news about Kenzie.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d moved out of Grant\u2019s new apartment.<\/p>\n
Apparently, the luxury lifestyle wasn\u2019t quite as appealing without the luxury.<\/p>\n
And Grant had begun selling his personal possessions to pay legal fees.<\/p>\n
His shiny new life was collapsing.<\/p>\n
But one final surprise was still coming.<\/p>\n
\u201cI owe you an apology,\u201d Grant said.<\/p>\n
He was standing outside my new office six months after the divorce process began.<\/p>\n
At first, I barely recognized him.<\/p>\n
The perfectly styled hair was gone.<\/p>\n
So was the expensive watch.<\/p>\n
He wore a wrinkled gray jacket and held a paper coffee cup with a brown stain down one side.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t invite him inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want, Grant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFive minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have two.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked through the glass at my small office.<\/p>\n
Three desks.<\/p>\n
A conference table.<\/p>\n
A whiteboard covered in project deadlines.<\/p>\n
Nothing fancy.<\/p>\n
But every single thing inside belonged to my new business.<\/p>\n
I had started Calder Industrial Solutions, a manufacturing project-management and procurement firm.<\/p>\n
No borrowed promises.<\/p>\n
No personal guarantees for somebody else\u2019s ambitions.<\/p>\n
Just contracts I understood and clients who paid their invoices.<\/p>\n
Our first quarter had gone better than expected.<\/p>\n
My friend Beth Porter handled operations.<\/p>\n
Celia was advising on equipment procurement.<\/p>\n
And Luis had referred two new commercial clients.<\/p>\n
Grant stared at the company name on the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you\u2019re really doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoing what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding another business.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
His throat moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard you landed the North Shore Components contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat account used to be mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat account belonged to your company.<\/p>\n
They ended the relationship before they contacted us.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Finally, he spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe factory filed Chapter 7 last month.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trustee is selling whatever assets are left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry your employees had to go through that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded slowly.<\/p>\n
Then he rubbed his forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cKenzie left.<\/p>\n
Mom and Dad barely speak to me.<\/p>\n
The bank\u2019s still investigating those financial statements.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
That part was true.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee\u2019s manufacturing community wasn\u2019t enormous.<\/p>\n
People remembered a man who bragged about building a company while failing to understand what his company actually owned.<\/p>\n
Some remembered his treatment of his wife.<\/p>\n
Most remembered the unpaid suppliers and the workers waiting for checks.<\/p>\n
Grant looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you needed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I tilted my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you never complained.\u201d<\/p>\n
That one landed.<\/p>\n
Not because it hurt.<\/p>\n
Because it explained everything.<\/p>\n
He had mistaken my patience for helplessness.<\/p>\n
My work for obedience.<\/p>\n
My financial support for something he was entitled to forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI complained plenty,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just weren\u2019t listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes reddened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then came the sentence I\u2019d once wanted more than anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I studied the man who\u2019d promised me a lifetime together.<\/p>\n
For five years, I\u2019d been his accountant, investor, emergency lender, unpaid operations manager, and wife.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d somehow convinced himself I was contributing nothing.<\/p>\n
Now he stood outside an office he\u2019d never paid for, asking me to acknowledge his regret.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Hope flickered across his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think we could ever\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
One word.<\/p>\n
No anger.<\/p>\n
No hesitation.<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight.\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached for the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye, Grant.\u201d<\/p>\n
He walked away.<\/p>\n
This time, I watched him reach the elevator before returning to my desk.<\/p>\n
Beth appeared from the conference room.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n
She raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n
I glanced at the contract waiting for my signature.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally.\u201d<\/p>\n
That Friday, I drove to my parents\u2019 house outside Cedarburg.<\/p>\n
My mother was making apple pie.<\/p>\n
Dad was on the back porch fixing a broken screen door.<\/p>\n
The kitchen smelled like cinnamon and butter.<\/p>\n
Nothing dramatic happened.<\/p>\n
Nobody demanded an explanation.<\/p>\n
Nobody questioned my worth.<\/p>\n
We ate dinner together.<\/p>\n
Dad asked about work.<\/p>\n
Mom complained about the grocery prices.<\/p>\n
I helped wash dishes while an old country song played from the radio.<\/p>\n
Later, I sat outside with a mug of coffee and watched the porch light attract moths.<\/p>\n
My phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
An email from Beth.<\/p>\n
Our newest client had approved a twelve-month agreement.<\/p>\n
I smiled and put the phone away.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t need to rush inside.<\/p>\n
For once, the business could wait until morning.<\/p>\n
The following week, the divorce decree was finalized.<\/p>\n
My attorney emailed the certified copy.<\/p>\n
I printed it, placed it in my filing cabinet, and went back to work.<\/p>\n
No champagne.<\/p>\n
No speech.<\/p>\n
No public announcement.<\/p>\n
Just a quiet afternoon and a signed contract waiting on my desk.<\/p>\n
A few days later, I saw a photograph online.<\/p>\n
Grant was standing beside his parents outside a small church.<\/p>\n
Lorraine looked older.<\/p>\n
Dennis looked tired.<\/p>\n
Grant wasn\u2019t smiling.<\/p>\n
I closed the page.<\/p>\n
That evening, I drove home in my Tahoe.<\/p>\n
The same one he\u2019d accused me of stealing.<\/p>\n
I pulled into my driveway, carried two grocery bags inside, and kicked off my shoes beside the door.<\/p>\n
There was leftover pasta in the refrigerator.<\/p>\n
A pile of laundry on the couch.<\/p>\n
A client presentation waiting for tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Normal things.<\/p>\n
Wonderful, boring, completely normal things.<\/p>\n
I poured myself a glass of water and noticed the time.<\/p>\n
Six o\u2019clock.<\/p>\n
Exactly the hour Grant had announced our marriage was over.<\/p>\n
I thought about that dinner.<\/p>\n
The applause.<\/p>\n
The nineteen-year-old secretary.<\/p>\n
The papers he pushed across the table.<\/p>\n
And how certain he\u2019d been that I had nowhere to go.<\/p>\n
My phone lit up with a message from Beth.<\/p>\n
Congratulations, boss.<\/p>\n
We just closed our biggest deal yet.<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
Then I opened my laptop and checked the numbers.<\/p>\n
Everything balanced.<\/p>\n
And this time, nobody else got to take the credit.<\/p>\n
THE END<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PART 2 \u2014 Three Days Later, My Husband Signed Away His Financial Lifeline \u201cYou\u2019re not taking my factory,\u201d Grant snapped when he saw the revised settlement. It was Thursday morning. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37278,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family","category-inspiration","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=56419"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56421,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56419\/revisions\/56421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=56419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=56419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readingdairy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=56419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}