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Annie didn’t push. She was the queen of not talking about things.
“You want to watch TV?”
Helen nodded. “Yes.”
Annie had never seen this docile side of Helen. Her sadness seemed to linger under a mask of calm. It made Annie nervous—she’d rather see Helen cry or be angry or express something else that she could identify with.
They watched TV until Jay Leno came on. Then Helen stood up. “You can stay, obviously, but I’m going to get some sleep. I have to teach a class tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Annie said. “I signed up for your class today. I forgot to tell you.”
“You did?” Helen rubbed her neck.
“I wasn’t planning on it because I thought it might be weird, but I had to fill the slot with something, and I figured…you know…hey.”
“Hey. That’s most flattering.”
“And anyway,” Annie continued, “I’ll probably be in student housing by then. That was the deal, right?”
“Right,” Helen said softly. “When are you planning on moving out?”
“Well, they haven’t called yet. But if you’re worried about renting the space to someone else, I can go back to the motel or something.”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Helen said. “Stay as long as you need. The last thing I need is someone else moving out of my house this week.”
Annie winced.
“I guess I was trying to ask you if you’d be around for Thanksgiving, that’s all,” Helen said and shrugged.
“Oh!”
“I know lots of students don’t go home for Thanksgiving because they go back for Christmas instead.”
“Actually, I’m planning to go up north to see my friend Lori,” Annie said. “I figured you’d have some family thing.”
“Well, Sal always hosts,” Helen said. “The kids play with their cousins, but this year…since Bruce, I just don’t think I could stomach it.” She smiled, deepening the lines around her eyes, and it was more unsettling than the weird mask of calm.
“Where will you go instead?”
“I never get the house to myself. I’ll be fine.”
“Or you could come with me,” Annie said. “Get out of LA for a while.”
Helen raised her eyebrows, her ivory skin shifting into a map of fine lines. And then she became contemplative. And then almostserene. Her cheeks flushed pink. “All right. If you’re sure it’s okay, I think getting out of town might be nice.”
Then Annie flushed too.
* * *
It had felt right to invite Helen to visit Lori with her in the Bay Area, and strangely thrilling when she had said yes, but now Annie was faced with the task of calling Lori and making sure it was okay to show up on her doorstep with someone else.
She called in the middle of the day, hoping to get voicemail, hoping to leave a vague, self-deprecating message designed to elicit forgiveness. But Louis answered on the second ring.
“Oh!” she said. “I didn’t expect anyone to be home. It’s Annie.”
“Hey!” he said. “Lindsay stayed home sick from school today, so I called in to stay with her. How are you?”
“Good, thanks. Excited to come see you guys. See the baby and Lindsay.”
