Walk.
I live steps from amazing restaurants and galleries. To funky shops and coffeehouses. And not
once did I bother to walk along the waterfront in my own neighborhood. I’ve bought art from galleries
around the world and never bothered to look next door. Maybe I am a bit of a snob.
“I thought we could walk and pop into any shops that look interesting if that’s ok with you.”
I peek at her, and she rewards me with a big smile. “That sounds perfect.”
I have to laugh. “I’ve been agonizing over this all week. Jonas talked me out of flying you down to
Miami. He said that might be a little too much. This seemed too simple.”
She shudders. “I can’t imagine going back on another plane. The man next to me was wearing too
much cologne and the woman on the other side of me fell asleep on me. I can’t say I understand the
attraction of flying.”
I stop right there in the middle of the walkway as her words penetrate. “Wait…that was your first
time on a plane?”
She spins, smiling at me. “Yeah. Shut-in mom, remember?”
With slow steps, I join her, stepping into her until our bodies are touching, liking the way she has
to tilt her chin up to look at me. “But after she died, couldn’t you have traveled?”
She winces, looking away for a minute. “I suppose I could have. But my life was small. My whole
world was seven blocks between my house and my school. When I went to university, it was only a
few blocks further. My whole life Zach, all of it, has been lived on the Upper West Side.”
She smiles softly, seeing my confusion. “When you live your life in a room, a whole house can
feel overwhelming. Then, when you’re used to the house, the street can feel too big.” She turns, taking
my hand to pull me along. “Besides, compared to how small my world was, going to university,
getting a job, and getting my own place felt like massive steps.”
I mull that over, trying to understand the way she lived her life. I’ve been all over the world. My
brothers and I went a little wild for a bit, hopping on a plane at the drop of a hat. I’ve always known
the whole world is out there for the taking. And I can’t necessarily imagine her not wanting to take it.
Though, I guess she did. Something made her decide to leave everything she knew.
“Why did you take this job?” I ask, pulling her to a stop.
She scrunches up her face. “There was nothing left holding me there. Everything I depended on
was gone, and I was in this place of…how do I put this?” She throws up her hands, “Fuck it!” she
