It was convenient when someone at work needed her, but the real reason she carried it was to placate her son, who had given her several long lectures about the dangers of going without a phone. She knew he was just worried, so she didn’t remind him that somehow the human race had survived before the invention of all these annoying devices.It was a little after three o’clock; she was still on her former daughter-in-law’s porch, dialing the number of the software company where Courtney worked. The receptionist told her Courtney wasn’t there, which she expected, but she also added that Courtney had left the company after an extended sick leave. “She’s sick?” Sandra said—or shouted. She was never sure how loud she had to be. The phone was tiny, way too small for her head. If the earpiece was on her ear, the mouthpiece didn’t come past her cheek.“I believe so,” the receptionist said. “All I know is that she resigned a few months ago.”A few months ago? Why hadn’t she mentioned this to Sandra?
