Instead I committed to the slower work: keeping appointments, seeing friends, finding moments of pleasure, and allowing sadness to exist without interpreting it as weakness.

When I finally signed the settlement, my hand was steady.

I checked the date, initialed the correct pages, and thanked Sandra for explaining the details.

The ceremony lasted less than ten minutes.

Outside, the city buses were running and construction workers were drilling into the pavement.

Nothing in Atlanta had stopped to mark the day.

I found that surprisingly comforting.

My life was allowed to continue without an audience.