“The expected closing is about six weeks away, if the remaining conditions are met.”

Six weeks felt both close and impossibly distant.

Maya thought of the twenty dollars she had deposited, the medicine in Claire’s refrigerator, and the two suitcases beside a borrowed bed.

A number on a contract could change her options.

It could not pay for groceries that afternoon.

“Can Richard sign anything for it?”

“Not merely because he is your husband.”

Ellen showed her the trustee’s role and the beneficiary requirements.