The first thing Martha saw was her own shaky reflection in the brass door handle. It was new—too bright, too shiny—like it belonged to some stranger’s house and not the place where she’d spent the last forty years of her life. Her hand trembled as she tried to fit her key into the lock.

It didn’t even slide in halfway. The metal scraped against metal with a dead, useless sound. Behind her, the taxi’s engine idled at the curb of the quiet cul-de-sac, a chilly October breeze rustling the maple leaves that had gathered along the sidewalk.

The sun was already low over the small New Jersey suburb, bathing the two-story colonial in a soft orange light that made it look almost gentle. Her chest still ached from the heart attack she’d had two weeks earlier. The nurses had told her not to strain herself.

But they hadn’t warned her about this. The driver leaned out the open window. “You sure you’re alright, ma’am?

Want me to wait until someone opens up?”

Martha swallowed, feeling the gauze pressing against the bandage under her blouse whenever she moved. “No, thank you,” she said, forcing a smile she didn’t feel. “My son knows I’m coming home.

He’s probably just… napping.”

It sounded ridiculous even to her own ears. The driver hesitated, then gave a stiff nod and pulled away. She watched the taillights disappear down the curve of the street, leaving her alone on the sidewalk with her cane, her small hospital bag, and a key that no longer belonged.

She tried again, because sometimes you had to try twice before the world admitted its cruelty. The key refused her. That’s when she saw the paper.

It was taped crookedly to the oak front door, the white sheet flapping at the edges each time the wind picked up. The words were printed in large block letters—too large for anyone to pretend they hadn’t meant every one of them. DON’T TRY THE KEY.

THE LOCKS ARE CHANGED. THIS IS MY HOUSE NOW. STOP LIVING OFF ME.

GO TO A NURSING HOME OR TO AUNT SANDRA. THERE IS NO PLACE HERE FOR LEECHES. — KEVIN

For a few seconds, Martha simply stared, the words swimming as if the letters themselves were made of water.

Leech. At seventy-two years old, after decades of packing school lunches, clipping coupons, and staying up late washing uniforms and paying bills, her son had boiled her down to a parasite in four capital letters. She didn’t cry.