June fourth.

July fourth.

August fourth.

September fourth.

October fourth.

He had promised me the finalized co-ownership deed would be printed and signed within ninety days of the house closing.

I picked up a red ballpoint pen from the nightstand and drew a thick red circle around today’s date on my small wall calendar: November fourth.

Four months had passed since his deadline, and I hadn’t seen a single legal seal or county stamp.