‘U OK?’ VIRUS-ERA FRIENDSHIPS CAN BE BOTH CRUCIAL & FRAUGHT

A single mother hunkering down at home with a teenage daughter, Sharon Litwin sees her friends, like most people these days, only virtually. Even so, they’ve been a crucial lifeline.

“Sometimes I just need to have a conversation with adults,” she says. “And sometimes I just need to cry, which I really don’t want to do in front of my daughter.”Two of Litwin’s friends, especially, have become valued sounding boards in daily calls she coordinates with her walks outside.

But then there are friends she’s tried to check on — good friends — who haven’t answered. She doesn’t know