Page 93 of Easy Steal
I knew that Sam wouldn’t have touched anything, or even looked inside, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to chill out until I took stock of everything that was important to me.
My laptop. The charger. My wallet and house keys.
A tattered journal. Three photos folded into a dirty envelope.
A small blanket. A tennis ball. Four pens.
Three small packs of tissues. Two passports.
And a frayed crocheted bracelet that looked more like a dirty piece of string.
I let out a shaky sigh of relief.
Everything was there.
Though I felt the necessity to keep these things with me at all times, it was rare that I pulled any of the stuff out that wasn’t my computer, wallet, or keys. These other items lived in the bottom of the never-ending bag, and seeing them all splayed out in front of me on the couch made my chest hurt.
I picked up the two passports, looking at the two very different versions of myself side by side when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I said, thinking that it was Rome.
“Hi,” Sam’s voice was quiet as he stood in the doorway.
My head snapped around to look at him, my body unintentionally leaning over my things like they needed protecting.
“Can I- uh, can I come in?” he asked.
I looked at him for a few moments before I nodded.
He closed the door behind him, and made his way over to me, sitting down at the other end of the couch.
I watched him as he sat, his eyes wandering over all the pieces of junk laid out over the couch.
“Can I?” he asked, gesturing towards the blanket.
I nodded once, and he picked it up.
I could tell he was being delicate and careful with it, holding it as if it might break.
“What is all this?” he asked.
“My things,” I said slowly.
He nodded, his hands running over the items.
“This?” he pointed towards the tennis ball.
“My brother’s. He used to play. He was really good, too.”
Sam nodded.
“All the packs of tissues?”
“My,” I frowned, “my mum gave them to me.”
He nodded again, slower this time.
I had never shown anyone these things, let alone had to explain what they were and why I carried them around.
