He laughed, a full-throated sound he hadn't made in a year. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a crisp apple from the bowl, and took a bite that echoed through the quiet house. He wasn't just buying teeth online; he was buying back his Sunday afternoons.

he texted. "And I'm ordering the ribs."

There was a moment of adjustment—a strange fullness in his mouth—but then he looked in the mirror. He didn’t see a "senior citizen" or a "patient." He saw Arthur. He practiced a few words. "Sassafras. Mississippi. Steak."