Hannah smiled again as if Ed had just admonished her for her private thoughts.

Just admitting some truths about myself. Once a guy gets to a certain age, it really can be like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. We are stubborn, and like you said before, set in our ways. But I guess that the only constant is change and I’ve been discovering that a bit for myself recently, and still trying to wrap my head around it. I probably don’t have to make things as hard on everyone as I do, but I’ve always been focused on keeping my head down and working hard, so when I can’t do that, I find myself a bit at a loss and then I get cranky. That’s where I’ve been lately. You just happened to show up during that time and I’ve taken the brunt of it out on you, so to speak.

Sounded like he wasn’t enjoying retirement either, she mused, thinking that it must be a huge adjustment too. To be a hard worker your whole life and then suddenly be stuck at home and feel like time is moving on without you.

She wondered what he used to do for a living. To afford a place like this it had to be something fancy, like a lawyer, banker or doctor. Or someone in the entertainment business. Yet for some reason, none of those fit. His words didn’t give off a fancy, white-collar vibe or a confident showbiz type. Something about the way Ed talked about himself seemed much more down to earth. ‘Save for the Penthouse on the Upper East Side,’ she mumbled, feeling even more confused by the picture of her elderly neighbour she’d conjured in her mind.

It’s an adjustment, going from useful to useless. Everyone wants to feel like they matter, that they’re doing something good in their life. Anyway, enough rambling from me. Obviously you are much busier than I, and have things to do. I didn’t say it before, but thanks again for keeping the noise down. Weird thing is, now the silence is starting to get to me.

As you’ve probably already figured out, I can be hard to please …

Now she had even more questions, but one thing Hannah felt for certain about was that her neighbour seemed to exist in a state of limbo. The problem solver in her craved the opportunity to help him.

But how?