“It didn’t finish as planned.

She went to her car early.”

“Did he say he was coming here?”

“No.”

I looked at Elliot, who had asked to stay for that part.

He nodded once, then took the returned truck from the open box.

It was his old toy, not Ben’s truck moving over the books at our feet.

I placed the original letter beside the plate of cold pancakes still waiting from the afternoon.