Plans with H.W.S.R.N. got canceled, and there was mild weirdness (my teasing about his not calling when he says he will, while my landlady and her daughter's boyfriend simultaneously showed up to inspect my leaky sink - not the most conducive environment for a meaningful conversation), but then, after I left him an odd little message, I came home to find that he'd actually called and left a message for me hours before I called him.
And then I finished Still Life With Woodpecker this afternoon at Quiet Storm, and reveled in the way that that book can make everything feel alright.
"It's never too late to have a happy childhood."