"I began to have doubts when I arrived at his house. Warning bells were going off in my head, and my hands were sweating."

The can opener the author inherited from Chip.

Nancy Bischoff is an attorney and educator with a master’s degree in educational leadership. She lives with her husband (whom she met in court as opposing counsel), their teenage daughter, and two pups. When she’s not writing, she’s reading — probably about someone who cooks better than she does. She still uses the can opener from this essay. Learn more about Nancy at nancybischoff.com and on Instagram @libraryofnancybischoff.This article originally appeared on HuffPost in February 2026.