When it’s empty.”

“It holds up fine.”

I ate half the cupcake, wrapped up the rest, and put it in the refrigerator with a sticky note that read Charlotte, Thursday.

The envelope from the mailroom leaned against my bag all afternoon.

I didn’t touch it until the building began to empty out.

At four thirty I walked out to the side lot.

The gravel crunched the way it always had, and my car sat in the third space, the one with good shade.

I took the key ring out of my purse, opened the little brass holder, and set the small brass key in next to the car key.