Then I typed one sentence right in the middle of the screen: “You need to call the bank and explain your situation to them.”

I told her to ask the mortgage department about loan modification programs or a voluntary foreclosure agreement before the bank filed a formal notice of default on the property.

I read the three short paragraphs again to make sure there was no warmth in them, and no anger either.

I hit the send button.

The little electronic chime rang once through the laptop speaker.

As soon as the window closed, I opened the main account settings and went to the automatic message filters.