with my friend Carol.
He didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but he let it go.
For 3 years, I was fine.
Better than fine, actually.
I learned to like the quiet. I baked on Fridays the way I always had, left a plate of lemon bars on Carol’s porch, grew tomatoes in the side yard, read until midnight without anyone telling me to turn off the lamp.
I was continue reading …