ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020, I WAKE UP and wonder how I’m going to spend the next two days. During the week, I normally wake up, turn on my work computer so my status is active, then get back into bed. On the weekends, I can lie in bed as long as I want, without being on alert for a Teams notification.

Flipping the pillow over to the cool side, I scroll through my phone and see an email with the subject line, “catching Up . . . DAVID MATHESON.” David was my manager when I worked at Starbucks. I haven’t heard from him since I quit a year and a half ago and joined the corporate world.

I open the email and read,

How are you doing? Where are you? Are you busy? I need a little favor from you.

The email is bizarre and feels like a phishing scam. But David is just old enough to be considered a boomer, and his digital communications have always been unnatural, a second language. He signs all his texts with his name at the end.

I look at my boyfriend Matt, sleeping peacefully beside me. I can hear his voice in my head, telling me to delete the email. I ignore that imaginary voice and type,

I’m well, how are you? I’m still in Toronto. I can’t cover a shift ;)

Minutes later, there’s a new email in my inbox.

Thanks for the quick response. I’m sorry for bothering you with this mail, I need to get a Google

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