The Man at the Door

Summary

• Nora Seed is lonely and contemplating suicide, passing time by scrolling through the social media profiles of others.
• Unexpectedly, her doorbell rings. The person at the door is a man she recognizes, Ash, a surgeon who she had met before.
• Nora is taken aback by Ash’s visit, especially given her unkempt appearance. She finds it refreshing but also surprising given that Ash is in sports gear and seems tired from exercise.
• Nora and Ash engage in awkward small talk. Ash shows serious concern and difficulty articulating his reason for visiting.
• Ash finally reveals that Nora’s cat, Voltaire, is likely dead. The cat was found by the roadside, presumably hit by a car.
• Despite her familiarity with grief, thanks to her medication, Nora is unable to cry. Instead, she smiles unnaturally, as if trying to delay processing the tragic news.
• Nora sees Voltaire’s lifeless body on the tarmac. While she should - and does - feel pity and despair, she also begins to feel envied for the cat’s absence of pain and peaceful demise.