He walked to the door of the study, then stopped without turning around.
“For what it’s worth,” he said, “I didn’t plan for it to happen this way.”
“Which part?” I asked.
“The affair, or the way you ended it?”
He didn’t answer.
He walked down the hallway.
The front door opened and closed.
I sat in the study for a long time after that.
The acceptance letter was still on the wall.
The plant still needed watering on Thursday.
My phone buzzed.
A text from Daniel.
*My sister’s name is Ruth.
She says call anytime tonight if you need to.
She means it.*
I looked at the number he had sent.
Then I looked at the acceptance letter one more time.
