I held the weight of it above the dark plastic edge.

I looked at the extravagant gift basket for a moment, then let it drop all the way into the trash bin.

I scrubbed my hands until the water turned cold, then dried them on the dish towel.

The gift basket was already in the bin, and the kitchen smelled of lilies and coffee.

I never opened the card tucked beneath the ribbon.

At three o’clock Margaret met me outside the glass doors of Ethan’s architecture firm on West End.