Up in her bedroom, she switched on her computer and while she waited for it to start up picked through her wardrobe for something to wear. Once she was dressed, she returned to the computer, opened Facebook, quickly scanned her notifications, and clicked on Milo’s profile. She hovered the mouse over the message icon and thought for a moment. She didn’t have a lot of time. She began to type.
Hi. I’ll be at my mom’s this week. It would be fun to see each other.
She reread the message, hesitated, then deleted the last sentence, which she immediately rewrote.We could get together if you like xxx
She hesitated again, deletedxxx, then dragged the cursor to click “send.”
Chapter 15
Sunday, late afternoon. The kids would be back soon. Nora was putting the last touches on tidying the house: the bedrooms had been vacuumed, the beds made up with clean sheets, there was a meal simmering on the stove, tonight was going to be a celebration! She glanced at her watch. They’d be back any minute. She hastened to sort out the final detail—little gifts she’d bought the previous day to place on Inès’s and Nassim’s pillows, symbolic really, her way of welcoming them home. Three packs of Pokémon cards for Nassim and a pair of earrings for Inès. She went back downstairs, looked around to check that everything was perfect. The doorbell rang.
She opened the front door with a radiant smile, spreading her arms wide to take the children in her arms, her heart full of joy...and saw Sylvain standing on the doorstep.
“Hi, Nora,” he said, hopping from one foot to the other. “Am I disturbing you?”
“No,” she said, more curious than surprised.
“It’s stupid, I’m making dinner and I’m clean out of eggs. You don’t have one I could borrow, do you?”
“I think I do.”
She moved aside to let him past and shut the front door behind her. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Do you need one or two?” she called, peering in the refrigerator.
“One’ll be perfect.”
She came back holding an egg and handed it to Sylvain.
“Thank you so much.”
Nora nodded her head, indicating it wasn’t a problem. There was a brief pause, then Sylvain said with a smile, “Well, I’d best be going. I owe you one.”
“Yes indeed, and you’d better give it back soon or I’ll start totting up the interest,” she answered, returning the smile.
“How do you calculate it?”
“Well, if you take too long, you’ll owe me a cow.”
“Okay then. Better check you have room for a side of beef in your refrigerator!” They both laughed.
Sylvain headed to the front door, followed by Nora. Just as Sylvain was leaving the house Gérard pulled up in the car. The children jumped out and ran toward their mother, who welcomed them with open arms. It was so good to have them back. Nora dropped into the embrace, holding her two beloved children against her, smelling their heads and squeezing their bodies. Gérard got out of the car and walked around it to join the small group on the sidewalk. As he approached, he stared at Sylvain with open curiosity: the sight of a stranger coming out of his wife’s house—they were still married, after all—elicited some questions. And, seemingly, some animosity too.
Nora introduced the two men. “Sylvain, my neighbor...Gérard, Inès and Nassim’s father.”
The two men acknowledged each other with a nod, jovial on the part of Sylvain, suspicious on that of Gérard. Sylvain turned to Nora with what seemed to Gérard a conspiratorial smile.
“Thank you again,” he said, holding up the egg. Nora smiled back. Then he took his leave and disappeared into the house next door. As he watched him go, Gérard noticed the number 28 painted in white on the wall by the front door. He recalled the case of the man who had hanged himself, and his getting the two houses mixed up.
The children had already gone inside. Standing there on the sidewalk, Nora clearly had no intention of inviting him in. Despite that, he went up to her.
“I owe you an apology.”
She lifted her eyebrows in surprise.
“It really wasn’t very tactful of me to tell you about the man who committed suicide. Particularly given that he didn’t hang himself in your house.” Gérard paused for a moment, as though for effect.
“It was in that house,” he said, indicating next door with a tilt of the chin.
