Luckily, Mrs. Goodman called again and gave me some good news.
She forwarded me the new date and seemed optimistic about my chances of getting this job.At that point, she felt like a mother to me.
The one I never had.
Relief washed over me, and suddenly energized, I called Kayla and told her the good news.
And then I went out shopping.
Even stranger than Callan’s inexplicable absence was not seeing his men––if, in fact, they were still watching me.
I started to doubt that.
And if that wasn’t only a skewed impression, and it was the truth, in fact, the entire story must’ve taken a turn for the worse––I thought.
That couldn’t have been a good sign.
So, after shopping in a rush and bringing what I’d purchased home, I pondered a little more and left everything unpacked before changing my clothes and heading outside.
It wasn’t that late, a flicker of daylight still lingering around.
With stark determination, I checked every spot in the area.
The building where I’d seen them a while back, and then, the park where so much happened.
I was hoping to see one of his men follow me, making sure I was all right.
I was anxious to get some answers.But I couldn’t find Callan’s men.
No one was following me.
No one cared whether I was there, putting myself in harm’s way, or I was safe back home.
And that’s when my trust in our story fell apart.
I wandered aimlessly for a little longer before returning to my building.
By then, it was dark outside, and the streetlights barely sprung up to life.
I ran into the super in front of the building and pretended I was waiting for my friend.
He was quick to inform me the apartment upstairs had been vacated and would be leased again.
I played stupid and asked about Carmen. He said Carmen and her husband had a family emergency and broke the lease.
I listened to him, amazed at how unaware he seemed to be that people, like me, had witnessed their departure.
That aside, I didn’t argue, only nodded.
He said the apartment would be on the market as soon as it got renovated.
I didn’t ask any questions.
I found it strange as it was, so I nodded some more, and because I didn’t want to walk upstairs with him and hear more of that stuff, I pulled away, telling him that my friend must be down the block and I’d go to meet her.
That’s how I started to walk away from my building.
The night was cold and unfriendly, and I wanted to find solace in just about anything.
