“Do you want to keep the plants?” I asked.
“Seriously? Don’t you want them?”
“Maybe one. To give to Mr.Banerjee,” I said.
“The old guy across the hall?”
“He’s a really good neighbor.”
Paige shrugged. “Cool. Whatever.”
We stood there awkwardly. I couldn’t ask her to sit down. She didn’t invite me to start packing.
“So…I have some other errands to run,” I said. “I can come back later.”
Relief flashed across her face. “Sure. I’m going out tonight. The place will be all yours. You can sort through whatever you want to keep.”
Not much of me remained. The contents of a closet. My books. “Great. See you around…?”
“I’m leaving at six.”
“Six o’clock,” I said.
Back in the car, I checked my phone. A text from Mom.Drive safely.Another message from Chris. Nothing from Joe.
I texted Mom to let her know I was in Chicago and then opened the message from Chris.
Home for Mom’s birthday. Can I see u
I stared at it, puzzled, and then realized. I never told him I’d quit my job. He expected me to be here, where he left me, in Chicago.
I hesitated.Can’t. Moving out of my apartment today
Chris:?
Me:Long story
Chris:Tell me over drinks
Maybe the question mark was implied. Or he could be assuming I would drop everything to see him again. But I didn’t have to fit my schedule around his anymore.
I typed,Busy. Sorry.
Not sorry.I put my phone away, returned my overdue book to the Northtown Branch of the Chicago Public Library, and then drove myself to school.
—
At four o’clockon a teacher workday, the lot at Ravenscrest was almost empty. I parked close to the main doors, thankful my faculty key card still worked. The halls were empty, too, echoing with ghosts, haunted by the scent of dry-erase markers and pine cleaner, sneakers and Axe body spray. The building was a husk without its students. Easier to leave behind.
My inbox was gone from the teachers’ lounge. My nameplate was gone from the classroom door. The school hadforgotten me and moved on. The realization was bittersweet. “Not as easy when we’re the ones doing the leaving,” Beverly Powell had said. But I was moving on, too.
I hefted the last carton from the floor of my closet.
“I was hoping I’d catch you,” Sarah said from the door of my classroom. “How are you?”
I felt a twinge of resentment at the concern in her voice. She didn’t get to ask me that anymore. She’d lost the right to care when she put me on leave and packed up my library.
“I’m fine.” I shifted the box of books in my arms. “How’s Colin?”
