There’s an un-eaten box of strawberries in the fridge getting a little fuzzy, three overripe bananas just about to fall off the stem, and a half-finished carton of orange juice (with extra calcium) – at least this isn’t past expiration yet. I bought too much fruit again.

A month has already gone by. Wasn’t it just yesterday we were looking up that poached chicken recipe? I haven’t learned any new recipes since then, so I eat poached chicken almost daily. I haven’t been shredding it before serving like we used to, either. These days I just spear them out of the pot with a chopstick and drop them over some rice. It feels like it was earlier this morning that I made coffee for us to drink while we watched the boats go by. One carafe is too much coffee for me to finish by myself in the mornings, so I dump the rest down the sink. It’s been a while since I’ve liked the coffee I brew. Maybe it’s the water.

I’ve diligently kept the Brita topped-up. I clean regularly. I’ve been going to the gym. It’s only been a month, but what am I supposed to tell my neighbor when she asked why I stopped playing piano?

I still buy orange juice every time I’m out for groceries, but I’ve learned that one box of strawberries is enough, now that you’re no longer here to help me finish the fruit.