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C an I have some wine, please?” Julia asked the male flight attendant, who nodded and left.

She began to relax now that she was in the cool, quiet cabin.

She’d never flown first class before, and it was predictably plush.

Passengers around her stowed shiny Rimowa carry-ons and slipped into Bose headphones.

She was ensconced in her own walled pod, like a bougie cocoon.

Julia exhaled, counting to four. She’d white-knuckled through the Philly airport, sweating under her blazer.

There’d been people everywhere, and the noise and commotion made her nervous, which she hadn’t expected in the daytime.

She’d thought about going home, but she’d box breathed through security, using up all the oxygen in Terminal A.

Julia took a mental inventory to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.

She’d called the prosecutor and detective to give them her contact information.

They had no news on Mike’s case and promised to get back to her, which they always said and never did.

She’d notified her clients she was taking a week’s vacation, so nothing was hanging over her head.

Julia picked up her phone, opened the StrongSign app, and checked her horoscope again.

Practice acceptance today. Remind yourself to stay flexible. Be honest and generous with yourself. Know that if you commit to a course, the cosmos will conspire to help you.

The flight attendant arrived with a mini-bottle of Brunello, a glass, and a napkin. “OMG, are you on StrongSign, too?”

“Yes.” Julia couldn’t remember the last time she had a conversation with a stranger.

“I’m obsessed .” His eyes lit up. “I’m a Cap, Aquarius Moon, Rising Virgo. I’m on StrongSign, Co-Star, and Kyle Taylor Astral. Do you want to know which site is best? I have thoughts.”

“Okay, which?” Julia smiled, sensing a kindred spirit.

“Listen and learn,” he began.

It was a sunny morning in Milan, and a gleaming black Mercedes S550 picked Julia up at the airport.

A uniformed driver ushered her into the back seat, pointing out water bottles and organic snacks on the center console.

She exhaled, appreciating the calm after the airport’s hustle-bustle.

She’d gone from one bougie cocoon to another, realizing that money separated you from everybody else. Maybe all rich people were agoraphobic.

She looked out the window, trying to get her bearings as they whizzed along. Milan had glass skyscrapers, mirrored buildings, and blocky apartment complexes in a skyline that struck her as unique, even quirky. The highway was as busy as Philly, but the cars were smaller.

They approached the center of Milan, and there were people everywhere. The Mercedes navigated down the narrow Via Monte Napoleone, passing ritzy Brunello Cucinelli, Loro Piana, Bottega Veneta, and Valentino boutiques. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis lined the street.

The Mercedes turned the corner onto Via Gesù, passed a crowd waiting to get into Goyard, then pulled up in front of the Four Seasons Hotel.

Best. Bougie cocoon. Ever.

Julia reached her room, relieved the moment the door sealed her inside. Her clothes were damp again, and her mouth was permanently dry. Maybe she needed remedial coping strategies. She had a meeting with the lawyer and the family investigator at four o’clock today.

She slid out of her blazer and hung it on the doorknob, looking around the beautiful suite, with two rooms overlooking a courtyard of sculpted hedges and flowering vines.

The living room had a flat-screen TV, a couch in a beige linen, and matching side chairs.

A walnut coffee table displayed Italian magazines, a tray of designer chocolates, and a note hoping that everything was to her liking. It was.

She went into the bedroom, which had two more windows and eggshell-white walls lined with etchings of wildflowers.

The king-size bed had a taupe upholstered headboard, a shiny golden coverlet, and an array of shams and pillows.

She crossed to the bed, flopped down, and slid her phone from her pocket.

The screen showed a notification of her horoscope from StrongSign.

She’d forgotten to check it, between the change of time zone and her anxiety at the airport. She clicked:

It’s not easy to unwind when you hold on so tight. Practice letting go and learn to trust yourself and others. The cosmos will continue to support you in surprising ways.

Julia tried to absorb the message and resolved to let go. She exhaled, put her phone down, and shifted onto the pillow mountain. She needed a nap before her meeting. She moved one sham aside, then another, and underneath was a neck roll.

Neck rolls are better for you , Mike used to say. It’s basic anatomy.

Julia hugged the neck roll and closed her eyes but didn’t sleep.

She was wondering about the surprising ways of the cosmos.