Chương 6
She understood the feeling.
When she reached her apartment, she dropped her keys twice before getting the lock open.
She hated that.
Not because it was difficult.
Because she hated remembering there were still moments her body surprised her.
Inside, the apartment smelled like coffee from the morning.
She put her bag down and stood in the kitchen.
The cabinet door hanging crooked above the sink stared back at her.
Three months.
She had been meaning to fix it for three months.
She had the tools.
She knew how.
But somehow every evening after work, the energy disappeared.
She opened the drawer beneath the sink and found the screwdriver exactly where she left it.
She almost laughed.
There were things she could repair for other people in buildings worth millions of dollars.
But one cabinet in her own apartment stayed broken.
Her phone buzzed.
This time, she expected Caleb.
It was Daniel.
Can we please talk tonight?
Rachel put the phone face down.
Five minutes later, it buzzed again.
Please.
She looked at the message.
Daniel had always been good at sounding reasonable.
That was part of what made him difficult.
He was not cruel.
Cruel people were easier.
You could identify them.
You could leave.
Daniel was careful.
He cared about her.
He also believed caring meant knowing what was best for her.
And sometimes those two things looked exactly the same.
She walked to the window.
The city was changing into evening.
Lights appeared one by one.
People hurried home.
Somewhere below, someone laughed.
A dog barked.
A delivery driver knocked on the wrong apartment door and apologized loudly.
Normal life.
Rachel missed normal life.
Not the life before the accident.
That version was gone.
She was tired of chasing someone who no longer existed.
She missed the feeling of not having to think about every movement.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time it was Caleb.
Sophie wants to know if you are coming tomorrow.
Rachel smiled.
She replied:
Does Sophie invite all strangers back for pancake reviews?
The answer came quickly.
No.
Only people who survive her interview process.
Rachel raised an eyebrow.
She wrote:
I did not know there was an interview process.
There is.
Question one:
Are you willing to admit pancakes can be dinner?
Rachel looked at the screen.
She typed:
Yes.
A few seconds later:
Question two:
Are you willing to admit syrup is a food group?
Rachel laughed.
She answered:
I need time to consider.
The response:
Rejected.
She shook her head.
She had known Caleb for less than forty-eight hours.
That was ridiculous.
People were not supposed to become important that quickly.
But maybe he was not becoming important.
Maybe he was simply reminding her that she could still connect with people.
There was a difference.
She put the phone down.
Then picked it back up.
She opened her contacts.
Her thumb hovered over Caleb’s name.
She had saved it earlier without thinking.
That surprised her.
She rarely saved new numbers anymore.
New numbers meant new conversations.
New expectations.
She locked the phone and went to bed.
The next day, she arrived at the diner ten minutes early.
She told herself it was because she was nearby.
That was not true.
She had taken a bus across town.
The diner looked exactly the same.
Same faded sign.
Same fogged windows.
Same bell above the door that sounded like it had been hanging there since the building opened.
She almost turned around.
Then she saw Sophie through the window.
The girl was sitting at the table with a stack of napkins and what appeared to be a pencil collection.
Caleb looked up and saw Rachel.
His expression changed slightly.
Not surprise.
Something warmer.
“You came.”
Rachel removed her coat.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Because most people say they will come back and then they don't.”
She sat down.
“That happens often?”
“Enough.”
The answer was casual.
Too casual.
Rachel noticed.
She had started noticing things about Caleb.
The way he changed subjects when conversations got too close.
The way he checked his phone but never seemed to enjoy looking at it.
The way he always sat where he could see the door.
Small things.
The things people did without realizing they were revealing anything.
Sophie pushed a menu toward her.
“You need to answer the question.”
Rachel looked at the menu.
“What question?”
“The pancake question.”
“I thought I was rejected.”
“You were temporarily rejected.”
“That sounds made up.”
“It is.”
Caleb looked at his daughter.
“She has created a legal system where she makes the laws.”
“That seems dangerous.”
“It is exhausting.”
Sophie nodded seriously.
“Leadership is hard.”
Rachel laughed.
The waitress came over.
“Back again?”
Caleb pointed at Rachel.
“She is being evaluated.”
The waitress looked at Rachel.
“Good luck.”
“I already feel like I have lost.”
“That means the process has started.”
The morning was simple.
That was what made it strange.
No one asked Rachel about the accident.
No one asked if she was okay.
No one looked at her leg before looking at her face.
They ate.
They talked.
Sophie complained about math homework.
Caleb complained about a tenant who kept reporting a broken heater that worked perfectly every time he arrived.
“He just wants someone to talk to,” Caleb said.
“Then why doesn't he say that?”
“Because people rarely ask for what they actually need.”
Rachel looked at him.
The sentence stayed with her.
After breakfast, Sophie went to wash her hands.
Rachel and Caleb sat quietly.
The silence was not uncomfortable.
She noticed that too.
“Can I ask you something?” Rachel said.
Caleb nodded.
“Sure.”
“Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Help people.”
He looked confused.
“I fixed a chair.”
“You moved seats.”
“That is not exactly heroic.”
“I didn't say heroic.”
He looked out the window.
Traffic moved slowly past the diner.
“I don't know.”
Rachel waited.
May you like
After a moment, he continued.
“My wife used to tell me I treated every problem like it was something I could repair.”
