Rent was $1,610 and she had made it every month for six years, including the year her mother died. In March she came up $340 short and paid nothing at all rather than paying part, because part felt like an admission. April she stopped opening the office door. By June the notices were no longer paper; they were a court date she did not attend.

The deputy was polite and gave her twenty minutes. She carried the binder out first, nine hundred cards sleeved in order, and set it on the couch cushions at the top of the pile where she could see it from the curb. A neighbor offered his garage for the furniture. She said she was fine, and stayed out there until dark.