Chapter 13: Space
Ruth did move, in the spring, three blocks away into a room with better light and a landlord she trusted.
She ate supper with us four nights a week as if the address change were a rumor. Nolan walked to her building with a key on a string and returned smelling of her soap. The second bedroom became his in full—posters, telescope catalog pages, a chair for reading. I stood in the doorway one night and saw a boy’s room instead of a shared emergency plan. The sight stung and healed in the same breath.
May you like
Work shifted: more diner hours with steadier tips, one less cleaning contract, a short course at the community college paid with a small grant for returning students. I studied after he slept. The bills still arrived. They no longer looked like accusations.
Grant asked, once, about changing the midweek dinner to overnight. I said we could discuss it at the next review if support and school remained steady. He did not push. The order had taught both of us something about doors and hinges.
