"It is," Eleanor said. And then, surprising herself, she added, "It used to be tight. Now it just lets me be."

At six o'clock, she descended the creaky stairs of her Victorian home. She wore the velvet dress with flat, scuffed leather boots. No necklace. No foundation. Her silver hair was twisted into a loose knot, with strands escaping like cursive writing. In her tote bag: a thermos of chamomile tea, a paperback of poetry, and a pair of folding reading glasses.

The music swelled. The cello sang a low, yearning note. Eleanor closed her eyes. She felt the dress shift as she breathed. The sag was not a failure of fabric. It was a surrender. The dress had finally given up trying to change her and decided to join her instead.