“Marian” is the kind of person everyone relies on. She’s 78, gentle, generous, and still starts her mornings by checking on the people she loves. One of them (her younger brother) calls every day. Sometimes it’s for help, sometimes for money, sometimes just to complain about the world. She knows he’s made choices that hurt people. She’s seen him charm, manipulate, and burn bridges. Yet when his number lights up, she can’t bring herself to silence the phone. Her stomach knots;