Now, as my eyes and fingertips grazed over the spines of the many volumes in my uncle’s study, I couldn’t help but wonder how many he had actually read. Were there any he wanted to read, but hadn’t gotten the chance to yet? I only owned one book completely outright; all the others I read were borrowed from the library. My one tattered and torn copy ofThe Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald was a prized possession, a book I reread over and over again until I finally had it memorized. I couldn’t even imagine owning this many books all to myself. Would I be able to remember all the titles and authors? Would I remember each book, each story, each character?
“You are welcome to borrow one whenever you wish.” A voice broke me out of my thoughts abruptly. My fingers had hesitated on one book when Uncle Dan had spoken. I turned around, knocking the book to the ground. We both reached for the book and bumped heads. He chortled while I awkwardly fumbled to put the book back where it had fallen from.
“I’m sorry,” I stammered, pulling at the loose threads of my sweater. “I didn’t mean to snoop in your office. I was just looking at the books.”
He smiled warmly, rubbing his head. “You are welcome here anytime, Mari. What’s mine is yours.”
We stood there for a moment before he walked past me to gather some papers sitting on his desk.
“Why weren’t you at breakfast?” I asked, desperately trying to find a way to fill the silence.
“I have a case I’m working on. I went to the office early, but realized I left something here that I needed,” he replied, his eyes still scanning his haphazard desk. Papers were strewn about everywhere. I wasn’t sure how he would be able to find anything.
“You have to work on the weekend?” I asked as he finally found what he was looking for, placing it inside a manila folder he pulled from his desk drawer.
“When we have a case this big, the District Attorney wants everyone on high alert. Jury selection starts in a few weeks, and then the trial should begin soon after. We want to have all our ducks in a row.”
He seemed so confident, but tired at the same time. I could tell the workload was weighing heavily on his shoulders. He walked, slumped over slightly, as if he were physically carrying the burden. I suppose I should get used to spending more time alone with Tiffany. It didn’t seem like Dan would be around much.
“You ready to go, Mari?” Aunt Tiffany walked into the office, her designer bag hung on her elbow as she pulled her coat around her slender body. Her eyes flicked from me to Dan in apprehension. “We are going shopping for school.”
Uncle Dan’s tired visage broke into a grin, creasing the skin at his eyes. “Excellent. You ladies have fun. Tiffany is an excellent tour guide. She has lived in New York her entire life.”
“It’s true,” she grinned, seemingly thrilled with the idea of spending more time with me. “I would be happy to show you around the city if you’d like.”
I smiled, finding their attempts to connect with me touching. They weren’t going to just toss me in a giant luxurious room and ignore me. It felt like they actually wanted to try to be a family.
“Yeah,” I replied, following Tiffany out of the office. “I would like that a lot.”
Tiffany let me borrow one of her winter coats, seeing as I only had my oversized sweater to keep me warm. It was a soft wool, dark hunter green with gold buttons. It looked barely used, yet she commented when she gave it to me that she’d had it for years. She must not go out much during the winter.
As soon as we walked through the revolving doors of the apartment, I wasn’t so surprised at the idea that she would want to stay in. The biting cold had actually gotten more frigid, the wind nipping at any exposed skin. I dug my numb fingers deeper into the cashmere-lined pocketsof my borrowed coat. Tiffany, noticing my unpreparedness, hooked her arm around mine, bringing me closer to her.
“You will get used to New York’s cold. I promise.”
Not sure I believed her, but I smiled in response anyway.
“Where to today, Mrs. Pollard?” Mr. Lewis opened the door of the sleek black car that had picked me up from the airport the day before.
“Fifth Avenue. We’ve got some shopping to do.” She smiled at me as she slid into the back seat.
I climbed in beside Tiffany, relishing the heat that enveloped me like a warm hug from my Nana. My breath caught in my throat at the thought of Nana and her hugs. Hugs I would never again get to experience. Tears stung my eyes as I glanced out the window, trying to hide my grief from the others in the car.
Silence descended within the car as we drove through the traffic towards Fifth Avenue. The only noise was the quiet hum of the heat, the radio playing soft Christmas music, and the noises outside of New York City life—taxis, car horns, people yelling, wind howling.
“So . . .” Tiffany’s voice trailed off as she searched for some subject or topic that seemed appropriate.
“Thank you for taking me shopping,” I interrupted, saving her from having to come up with anything. I preferred the quiet, and I had a feeling Tiffany did too.
She sighed, relieved at being saved from herself. “Of course. I hope we can get to know each other today. I really want you to feel at home here, Mari.”
“I’d like that too,” I replied honestly. While this new and strange place didn’t feel like home, I knew I had to at least make an effort. No one asked for this situation, but Tiffany and Uncle Dan were trying.
We fell into a comfortable silence, the car filling with the low hum of Christmas music in the background. Mr. Lewis pulled up to a department store, Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the same stone buildings I had seen on my way into the city the day before.
Mr. Lewis quickly got out of the driver’s seat and came around to open the door for us. “Have a lovely shopping trip, ladies.”
He winked at me as I followed Tiffany, who took my arm and led me into the store. The massive stone building towered and loomed over us as we walked in, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the cacophony of sounds—people chattering and the intoxicating smells of various expensive perfumes. There were rows and rows of makeup counters and other accessories. A light buzzing began to throb from the back of my head, wrapping around me like a vise grip.
