The cold mist settled on my skin as I walked down the driveway toward the street where my car was parked under the cedar branches.

I unlocked the trunk, put my suitcase and briefcase inside, and got into the driver’s seat.

I turned the key in the ignition.

The four-cylinder engine started with a low, smooth purr that stayed well under the sound of the wind moving through the power lines overhead.

I shifted into drive and let the car roll down the quiet residential street without looking back at the dark front windows of my father’s house.

The interstate was almost empty as I drove south through the slushy Oregon drizzle.