EMILY

I was seated on the dining table in the kitchen, with the bifolding doors pushed open to reveal the lush garden. My laptop was opened in front of me as I worked on it.

It was Sunday afternoon, and I was trying to tie up loose ends in the food product improvement project I was given to work on. I asked for a week, and that ended on Friday, so I would have to turn in the finished work on Monday.

I stood from the seat and stretched my arms and legs. I walked up to the refrigerator and pulled it open. I took out a pack of orange...