Anna dropped her spoon. It clattered loudly against the bowl. In a swift move, she leaned back against the wood chair, arms clamped together, and swung her head to look out the window a moment, a tic working her jaw. When she faced Linnea again, her eyes were cold.

“I never had any intention of not doing my part. You’re dumping this on me because I don’t want to share recipes with you.”

Linnea opened her mouth to speak, but Anna swung out a hand toward the paper on the table. “Go ahead, write up one of your little schedules for cleaning. I promise I’ll follow it. I won’t leave dishes in the sink. I’ll pay my share of the bills. Okay? But don’t ask me to be happy, because right now I’m feeling a little bummed. I’ve basically lost my job. I’ve no money in the bank, I’m dependent on you for a place to live, and I have no idea what my future holds. So forgive me if I just don’t feel there’s anything to be particularly cheery about.”

“I lost my job too!” Linnea shouted, her frustration finding voice.

“But you have your family!” Anna’s eyes flashed “They have your back.”

“I have your back. I offered to let you stay here, didn’t I?”

“You just threatened to kick me out!”

“Jeez Louise, listen to you,” Linnea shot back. “I did not threaten to kick you out.”

Anna glared at her.

Linnea felt a twinge of shame. “Well, maybe I did. Sort of. I’m sorry. What I mean is, I’m giving you an option.”

Anna gave her a skewed look.

Linnea took a breath, not wanting to escalate the argument more. She felt her anger flow away, leaving her deflated. “I’m sorry if you feel threatened, Anna. I didn’t mean that.”

The tension dissipated. Anna blew out a plume of air. “I’m sorry too. I’ve been a bitch, I know that. I…” She sighed again and shrugged. “I’ve been pretty depressed.”

Understanding brought compassion. “I wondered.”

Anna shrugged. “I’m scared. I don’t know if I’ll ever get my job back, and even if I do, I don’t know if it’s what I really want to do. For the future.”

Linnea leaned forward, curious. She’d thought Anna loved her job working at the sea turtle hospital. “What else do you want to do?”

“That’s just it. I don’t know. Being stuck at home, I’ve been forced to take stock. I feel pretty bleak about the future. What’s the world going to look like? Will we ever get back to normal? Hell, what is normal anymore? Sometimes I feel I’m a breath away from screaming.”

“Oh, Anna. I’m sorry. I didn’t know. Well, I knew you weren’t happy, but I didn’t know why.”

“Hey,” she said with typical bravado. “It is what it is.”

“Is it? I’m worried too. But if we sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, when the pandemic ends—and it will—we won’t have anything to show for this time. Maybe you could use this time to explore other options.”