I Left Before They Got Home

with the side of his hand. “You should’ve come to me first.”

That almost got a smile out of me.

I set the avocados back in the bin because they were overripe anyway.

“Daniel,” I said, “I did.”

He frowned like he truly didn’t understand.

So I reminded him.

Not about the money.

About the barbecue.

About that one clean chance he had, in front of everybody, to continue reading …