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Allison Avery: Set your GPS for Kisses and Hugs in Boston.
Sophie Andrade: I won’t abandon you like that.
Allison Avery: And I won’t hold you back from your dreams.
Allison Avery: And all the awesome free clothes I’m going to get out of you fulfilling your dreams.
Allison Avery: Come when you’re done, okay?
Sophie Andrade:
Unknown Number: I caught Sophie at your place as she was leaving. She told me about your father. [deleted]
Unknown Number: Are you okay? [deleted]
Unknown Number: What can I do? [deleted]
Unknown Number: You can ignore me all you need to but I’m not disappearing. [deleted]
Mandy Garcia: I think Ethan drinks cologne.
Mandy Garcia: I’ve been sitting with him in this car for almost two hours, and I swear it’s seeping out of his pores like alcohol. Link is practically gagging in the back seat.
Mandy Garcia: You will also not be shocked to discover that Ethan is a talk-radio person. NO MUSIC. AT ALL.
Mandy Garcia: And he goes the precise speed limit. Not a mile above or below.
Mandy Garcia: This is the last time I let him drive anywhere.
Dear Allison,
My thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time. The loss of a parent is a particularly fathomless grief for which there is little sage advice beyond to mourn as needed and as feels best for you. No one but you can understand the shape and feel of this loss and however you are dealing with it is an acceptable response, no matter how nonsensical it might appear to others.
When I lost my mother two years ago, I planted a new seed each time I felt like crying. As you might imagine, my garden is rather full. But each of these new lives feels like they have a tiny speck of her spirit in them, and with each new sprout that flourishes, a small mending stitch finds its way to my heart.
I reviewed your video and shared it with the class today. We were all delighted by the ways in which you adapted to the lack of resources at your disposal. You did a fantastic job organizing your ideas and presenting them to the class, and the students responded with an abundance of curiosity at the interpretations you offered. I also think Malory would have appreciated your stick figure renderings of his characters.;) Especially Lancelot and his lofty… sword.
Should there be anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Take care,
Wendy
Chapter 39
Jed’s wake had begun half an hour ago, and already Allison felt as if she’d shaken hands with a million strangers.
She swallowed against the gritty dryness of her mouth as another middle-aged couple knelt before her father’s closed casket and folded their hands in prayer. Sweat left a chalky residue in her palms, and Allison rubbed them against the sides of her black tights.
Her glance drifted to the back of the room, where her cohort and Sophie sat in a clump. They’d been the first group through the doors, and after a huddle around Allison by the casket, they’d stationed themselves in the corner, one of them coming by every few minutes to check on her.
An affectionate warmth hummed beneath the iceberg of numbness rooted in Allison’s chest. She hadn’t been prepared for everyone to be so supportive and wonderful.
Her only wish was that the presence of her friends didn’t make Colin’s absence so conspicuous.
Colin.
She shoved his name from her mind. She couldn’t think about him. Or how he should be here, holding her hand, as he had been barely a month ago when this had all begun.
