That is what I was not prepared for.

It was two people talking about their days for a year, and it was intimate in a way that made the physical part feel almost incidental, and there were about nine emails in there in which my husband discussed my medical situation with my best friend in a tone of gentle, weary patience.

In September 2023 there was a message from Michelle that said: I’m going to look into the thing we talked about.

Don’t say anything to anyone yet.