Some nights, I spoke to Russell as though he were downstairs making tea, about to ask whether I had eaten. I told him I was trying. I told him the baby kicked whenever rain touched the windows.
Months later, I stood in the kitchen of the house Russell had built. Sunlight stretched across the floor in long, gentle squares. One hand rested on my belly. The other held his letter, softened and worn at the creases.
“Exactly what you deserve,” I whispered.
I finally understood. Not the money. Not the marble. To be seen, completely and without conditions.
I placed the letter down and walked toward the window, ready for whatever came next.
That evening, I opened the old kitchen windows as wide as they would go. They sealed perfectly, but I wanted the scent of rain inside. I made peppermint tea and set one cup across from mine, foolish and comforting.
