I stopped answering those calls.

Instead, I made an ordinary schedule.

Monday was for paperwork and a walk with Willa if the weather allowed.

Tuesday was for appointments.

Wednesday, Andrew came to dinner.

Friday morning I worked on the small property-management consultancy I had decided to restart.

The work began with one client: a family-owned apartment building whose manager needed help reviewing vendor contracts.

I was nervous before the first video call.