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MARK WORKED HARD. He got home in time to finish the paper he had due by the end of the week for a freshman English class. Had a cup of hot chocolate with his grandmother while she sipped on chamomile tea. And he waited until he could slip outside his back door and sit in the dark with his beautiful neighbor.
She was already outside when he arrived, which surprised him. He’d been listening for her glass door to slide open. And he knew the second he sat down that something was not right.
The bottle of wine they’d opened the night before but hadn’t finished, sat chilled on the table beside two empty wineglasses. Sensing that the wine was there for a purpose—that he was going to need it for some reason not yet known to him—he poured two glasses, leaving only a little bit at the bottom of the bottle.
It wasn’t much if he found himself in sudden need of liquid tranquilizing.
She hadn’t said a word yet.
So he started in. “You free Thursday evening?” Until he knew they had a problem, there wasn’t one.
“Yes.”
Nodding, he settled lower in his seat, his untouched glass of wine on the table beside him.
“I invited Jon to drop Abe off at my place,” he said, watching her face for clues. She looked the same, albeit more formal than he was used to in her blue cotton pants, silk blouse and leather sandals. “I told him Nonnie and I would watch Abe for a while so he could have some time to himself.”
“I’ll bet he was thrilled.”
Mark shrugged. Jon and “thrilled” didn’t exactly go together. “He agreed readily enough. You want to join us?”
“Sure.”
Okay, then. She’d agreed to a date with him. Of sorts.
How bad could things be?
The stricken look in her eyes as she peered up at him told him things were bad, and fear sliced through him.
“You’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
“How soon?”
“By the weekend, I hope.”
“You’re dropping out of school midsemester?”
“I think so. I’m...still waiting to... I haven’t had confirmation on that yet.”
“What kind of confirmation do you need to drop out of school?”
“I need to know the consequences before I make my final decision.”
Mark listened to her words, but what he heard her say was that there was still a chance she’d be staying.
“Have you given notice on the duplex?” He dealt with facts.
“My rent is prepaid through the end of the year.”
“Can you sublet it? It’s prohibited in my contract.”
“I don’t know.”
She looked at him, but her eyes seemed almost vacant. He felt like he was seeing a stranger.
