But I also knew that, at work, and with Cecelia, and with almost all of my friends, and with my parents before they died, there was a way in which I’d hardened myself just slightly. My personality had solidified. I’d learned to react by habit instead of really being present. With my parents, for instance, I’d taken to playing the role of college-educated son, the executive from back East, leaving Cecelia to take on the role of flake.
