I Cared for My Elderly Neighbor for 9 Years — After His Funeral, His Letter Sent Me to My Basement Freezer

picked up prescriptions, drove him to appointments, and sat with him on the porch when the house felt too quiet. He let me see the pieces of his late wife Daisy that still lived in his home — her mug by the sink, her sweater on a chair, her recipe cards in a tin. On her birthday, I brought him lemon cake, even though it sank in the middle, and he continue reading …