The neighbor’s dog barked once more down the block and went quiet. I traced the same scratch in the wood again and again until my finger went numb. The stove clock ticked louder than it ever had before.

I kept seeing her face at that side door, the way she looked right at me without any extra expression.

I picked up the phone one more time and stared at her name in my contacts. My thumb hovered over the call button but I set it down before I could press anything. The words I needed were not there yet and maybe they never would be.

I finally understood that my practical advice had cost me the sound of her voice in my own house. She was right to keep her plan to herself.