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“And then…we’ll see. Who knows what the future holds?”
I stood there, my head spinning, my mouth opening and closing like a blow fish dying on a hot beach, and when I felt sure my legs could carry me again, I walked out of the room.
* * *
Later that night, in bed, I asked Jack if he knew how long she was staying.
“A few days I think.”
“Oh, right. I think it might be longer. Did she talk to you about that?”
He frowned. “No.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that she’s here at all?”
“Of course not. She’s here for Charlie’s birthday, and we have an appointment with our lawyer to sign the divorce papers.”
Our lawyer.
“And then she’ll leave?”
“Of course.”
“She said a few weeks.”
“She’s just pushing your buttons, Laura.”
I studied him, wondered if I should trust him, and decided that I should. For now. “Are you feeling depressed?” I asked.
“No, not really. I mean, things have been better, but I’m okay. Why?”
“Just checking. You’d tell me if you were?”
He shrugged. “Sure!”
“You know what you should do?” I asked, propped on my elbow.
“What should I do, Laura?” he sighed.
“I think you and Charlie should do a project together. At the moment, it’s just Bronwyn spending a lot of time with her taking her shopping, all that stuff. I think you should talk to her, and find something she’d like to do, and that you could help her with.”
He frowned, and I didn’t think he’d pursue it.
The next morning, the two of them are hunched over the dining room table, which is covered with bits of electronic components, wires, a soldering iron.
“What’s all this?” I ask.
“We’re citizen scientists!” Charlie says excitedly. Jack smiles at me.
“I told Charlie about the community wildlife monitoring project,” he says.
“The what?”
“We’re looking for coyotes!” Charlie squeals. She’s so excited she’s jumping in place, her fists in front of her mouth. I laugh, take her head in my hands and kiss her cheeks.
“We’re putting up remote sensors around the neighborhood, wherever there might be urban wildlife,” Jack says. “Any traces or sightings gets sent back to the project database and mapped.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I think it’s great,” I say, and I kiss his cheeks too. And when I walk out, he mouths,thank you.
