I laughed on the second landing, which surprised the both of us.

“The city man came back,” he said.

“He took pictures of the back wall and wrote on his clipboard.”

“Give me the notice on Thursday.

I’ll write the letter myself.”

He nodded and went back down, and I heard him singing in the shop below before I’d even gotten my key in the lock.

At nine I set up the ironing board in the narrow kitchen and pressed the white blouse until the collar finally kept its shape.

The four binders went into the briefcase in order: blue, red, green, yellow.