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“No,” I said. “It’s nice to be away from it for a while.” She eyed me carefully. “Do you really mean that?” “Of course.” I tugged at my polo shirt. “It’s nice not to always have to put on a suit during the week.” “I’ll bet you’ve forgotten what that’s like, haven’t you. You haven’t taken a long vacation in . . . what? Eight years?” “It hasn’t been that long.” After a moment, she nodded. “You’ve taken a few days here and there, but the last time you actually took a week off was in 1995. Don’t you remember? When we took all the kids to Florida? It was right after Joseph graduated from high school.” She was right, I realized, but what I once regarded as a virtue, I now considered a fault. “I’m sorry,” I said. “For what?” “For not taking more vacations. That wasn’t fair to you or the family. I should have tried to do more with you and the kids than I did.” “It’s fine,” she said with a wave of her fork, “no big deal.” “Yes, it is,” I said. Though she had long since grown used to my dedication at the office and now accepted it as part of my character, I knew it had always been a sore spot with her. Knowing that I had her attention, I went on.? “It’s always been a big deal,” I continued. “But I’m not sorry only about that.?I’m sorry about all of it. I’m sorry for letting work interfere with all the other events I missed when the kids were growing up. Like some of their birthday parties.