I was seventy-one.

I wanted enough money for my own care and a home I could maintain.

I needed to know exactly what I had promised, what I could safely stop, and which arrangements carried legal obligations.

I called my friend Ruth, a retired school librarian who had known me for nearly forty years.

She answered with holiday music playing behind her.

When I told her what happened, she did not immediately offer advice.

She asked whether I had eaten breakfast.