I gripped the sofa cushion.
“What did you do?”
Dani pulled back enough to look at me.
“You said no questions.”
“That was a question. I can stop.”
A faint smile appeared.
“I named things.”
“Did it help?”
“Yes.”
She looked down.
“The fear didn’t disappear.”
“It did not need to.”
“I know the words,” I said. “I do not believe them yet.”
She answered quietly. I touched her cheek.
“You went back.”
“I also left.”
“Those are both true.”
“I wanted one of them to cancel the other.”
“They don’t.”
“Rose said that too.”
“Rose is frequently correct.”
“Unbearable.”
I kissed her forehead.
“Food?”
“Yes.”
We ate at the kitchen table. Dani talked about everything except the intersection. Blake’s new class schedule. Carol’s campaign to ban motivational slogans.
The fact that Lola had created a dinosaur category called “probably judgmental.”
I followed her lead. After dinner, she took out the old race bib. The first one.
MILE 22 — COME BACK
She placed it between us.
