Page 108 of Meet Me on Greenwood

"Could you put it in my jacket pocket?"

He nodded. "That is some ring. You must love her?"

I smiled. "I never knew love could feel this way."

"It is something. Those first years are like magic. Then you have kids and your marriage really tests what you are made of, but if you can make it to the other side," he paused, as if reminiscing. "I mean you will miss the kids when they were little, but you gain beautiful years with your spouse at the end of it."

"You and Jill always seem so happy."

"We are. I wouldn’t trade her for the world." He paused. "I’m wondering if Gema is worth it."

"Why would you ask that?" I asked defensively. Perry looked at the door and decided to close it.

"I made some inquiries into Johns Hopkins because I was curious when C.J. came up empty. That is unlike him." He pulled out a piece of paper with the Johns Hopkins logo. "I suspect he didn’t want to hurt you."

I tried to read the paper, but my eyes wouldn’t focus. "What am I supposed to read here?"

Perry pointed to the bottom part of the letter. There is no one by the name of Gema or Gemini Cross that attended the medical program in the history of our school.

"Maybe she went by another name. This proves nothing."

"I thought of that too," he said opening his briefcase. "I have the yearbooks for the incoming and graduating classes for the past fifteen years. I went through it all. Not one picture."

"Maybe they didn’t include her."

"Because she is black? Do you see what I see?" He began flipping through pages. There weren’t many, but there were certainly a handful of Black medical students. There was even one woman, but she was not Gema.

"Why would she lie?" I asked, grasping for an explanation.

"I’ve been asking myself the same question. I don’t want to cause you any trouble if you are happy, I just want you to be careful."

I clenched the letter in my hand before giving it back to him. "What am I supposed to do with this information?"

"Whatever you want. I would just hate to see you enter into something without knowing th—"

A knock sounded on the door.

"Can I come in?" Gema asked.

Perry shoved the yearbooks away. "Yes, of course," I called.

Gema looked between me and Perry, and I wondered if she could see right through us. "Are you hungry? Lettie made stew."

40

Bri

May We Expect You Tomorrow?

Today was one of the few days where I’d allowed myself to leave the hospital. Maise had been generous enough to rent a temporary house for me to stay in, which was a relief. The thought of staying in my father’s house, the house that I’d grown up in without Gema, was just too much.

I had to admit that Lyla had been kind, bringing casseroles and magazines to keep my mind occupied. I would never tell her of course. That was a step too far, which was yet another reason to keep my distance. Gema's status hadn't changed. She was still breathing on her own, but her brain activity was static. Maise became more worried as the days went on. As for myself, I was numb, unable to fathom that she wouldn't just wake up one day.

My phone buzzed. It was another text to go along with the dozens I’d already ignored from my roommate. She wanted her half of the rent, which I had, but with Gema in the hospital, I was scared to part with it. What if I’d needed the money? This text came with an attachment. I gasped as I clicked on it.

She’d rounded up all of my things. My clothing, my bedding, and hundreds of dollars’ worth of art supplies, and posted them for free on an online marketplace. That bitch!

I clenched and unclenched my hand, ready to fire off a nasty reply. I was going to tell her exactly what I thought of her, and while I was at it, I was going to admit I'd slept with her boyfriend, too. More than once. And that it had happened on her bed. I had just started typing when Maise knocked on the door.