Brett knocks again, harder this time. “Casey, it’s me. I’ve got a friend here from New York that wants to see you.”
He steps back and shoves his hands in his pockets. We wait but no one opens the door. Brett lets out a sigh of frustration and balances on the heels of his feet.
Finally, after five minutes he shakes his head. “We should go. He’s not going to open the door.”
“How do you know? How long do you usually wait?”
He shrugs. “A few minutes. I texted him. He knows I’m on my way. But he never opens.”
“Brett, are you telling me he hasn’t left his apartment in a month? Have you tried contacting his doctors?”
“Are you kidding? He wants nothing to do with doctors. I suggested a second opinion and he flat out refused.”
“Maybe we should call the police for a wellness check or something?”
“I have. They said he’s fine. He’s just not opening the door to any of us.” He looks at his watch, then at me. “Are you staying nearby?”
“Yeah, just a few blocks away.”
“Come on.” He motions with his head. “I’ll drive you back.”
I shake my head. “Thank you, but I think I’ll wait here a little longer.”
He checks his phone while he says, “Suit yourself. If you do hear from him, call me. Here’s my number.”
I pull out my phone and create a profile. “Okay, I will.”
“Thanks. See you later, Sage.”
“Bye.”
I watch Brett step onto the elevator and nod as I lift my hand, waving goodbye. When the elevator doors close, I turn back to Casey’s door and sigh.Why won’t he open it?I knock lightly. “Casey, it’s me, Sage. There’s nobody else here.”
I wait, then lean closer, pressing my ear to the door. I don’t hear a sound. No shuffled footsteps, doors closing or even the television. If Brett hadn’t said the police checked on him, I wouldn’t believe he was in there.
“I’ll just wait out here for a little bit until you’re ready to open the door.”
I lean against the wall and wait.
The back of my head rests on some molding, so I scoot over to the door where the surface is smooth. Pulling my dress over my knees, I sit and close my eyes.
After a few minutes, I pull out my phone and doom scroll. I fall into a rabbit hole of cat videos that make me smile and miraculously an hour goes by.
I turn my head to the right, pressing my ear to the door, and listen. Still nothing. Surely, if he was inside, he would have gotten up or made himself a coffee or something.
The phone vibrates in my hand, and I check it. It’s an email from Professor Fox, so I open the message.
‘Dear Ms. Summers. I hope this note finds you well. I want to let you know that the interview process begins in a couple of weeks and I’ve included some reading material to help you prepare.’
I put my phone down and lean my head back again. He’s going through a lot of trouble to help me get this position. But I don’t know how I feel about it. I don’t want to leave Cedar Brook Falls.Maybe I can ask him if this job could be remote?
But reading the description, it’s clear that it’s not. What I love most about physical therapy is that it is hands-on. I get to be there for my clients, see the look that crosses their face when they do something difficult and then the pride when they get through it.
I ignore the message because I don’t know what to say right now.
Frustrated with myself and with Casey, I stand up and knock again.
“Casey, it’s Sage. I’m leaving now, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”
