I liked discovering I could order coffee without needing to finish a story about my divorce first.

I liked that the phone sometimes rang because somebody wanted to ask an ordinary question.

And when it did not ring, I no longer listened for it.

EPILOGUE — No Sugar

Four months after the message, I drove to the waterfront house on a clear autumn morning.

Mist lay over the water.

The trees along the opposite bank had begun changing color, and the air carried the damp smell of leaves and wood.

A contractor’s van stood near the gate.