Laura’s patience was eroding. Her mother’s experience—it was something that had haunted Laura every day of her life. For her mother to mention it now—as if it were something that might have slipped her daughter’s mind—struck Laura as grossly thoughtless and crass. "It’s not enough to try, Mother. You have to plan ahead. That was something your generation was never any good at." She gestured at the window. "Don’t you see that out there?"