An Excerpt--
He played with the cupboard door before shutting it. “Lenore worked at the Fulton Elementary School. She was the school librarian.” I sat down. The light from the living room shadowed his face. “After…at the service. The teachers from the school and some of the kids and their parents, they came. They brought these balloons. A whole bunch of balloons. Judy, Lenore’s mother, said later that she didn’t like them. That they felt too celebratory and we’d just lost…but I thought they were beautiful. I remember when they released them, all these bright colors heading for the clouds. I remember hoping Lenore and the kids were like those balloons. That floating up to heaven was like that. I wished I could float away, just be unanchored. Just head out, unanchored.”
When he looked at me, his eyes drove a pin through my heart. He put his hand to my cheek, his fingers lingering light against my skin for a minute, and then he walked out. I heard his footsteps on the stairs, and I didn’t try to follow him.
I should have left. My head was telling me to go, an angry bee buzzing ‘get out, get out while you can.’ But my heart said otherwise. My heart, heavy as the darkness in that room, said ‘stay.’
He played with the cupboard door before shutting it. “Lenore worked at the Fulton Elementary School. She was the school librarian.” I sat down. The light from the living room shadowed his face. “After…at the service. The teachers from the school and some of the kids and their parents, they came. They brought these balloons. A whole bunch of balloons. Judy, Lenore’s mother, said later that she didn’t like them. That they felt too celebratory and we’d just lost…but I thought they were beautiful. I remember when they released them, all these bright colors heading for the clouds. I remember hoping Lenore and the kids were like those balloons. That floating up to heaven was like that. I wished I could float away, just be unanchored. Just head out, unanchored.”
When he looked at me, his eyes drove a pin through my heart. He put his hand to my cheek, his fingers lingering light against my skin for a minute, and then he walked out. I heard his footsteps on the stairs, and I didn’t try to follow him.
I should have left. My head was telling me to go, an angry bee buzzing ‘get out, get out while you can.’ But my heart said otherwise. My heart, heavy as the darkness in that room, said ‘stay.’
