The Replaced Lover's Thirty-Day Silent Escape

ia's

ian already dressed, sitting on the ed

arely pa

til nine on days without board

id, his voice u

. I took the whole day

ed the blanket ar

s goin

said, watching my face closel

e the old Ferris wheel and eat cotton c

ked a

for three months straight

g childish things like that we

ed him. He was offering this tiny, trivial bit of attention, tryi

d, throwing o

brush m

e walking along the C

rried the salt spr

ng, and the amusement

t me a giant pink cotton candy, and held

t my face, searching for that brigh

ed impassive, stil

two bites of cotton candy, and tos

?" he asked, stoppi

e sounde

fine,"

tro striped vest walked up

! Want a boardwalk photo? Five do

tely reached f

let's t

arm around my waist, his iPhone sudd

church-be

d set exclusivel

led away from my

one, glanced at the

glance at me be

What's

through the receiver-loud enou

followed me from the subway... he grabbed my ba

t ask for a

ven say goo

pic sprinter, knocking over an empty trash

ht there! I'm co

ith his camera, mouth hanging o

re we still do

id politely, handing

the ch

ard Aquarium Plaza

trolled, enjoying

inutes later, a small crowd had

eling on the d

ring an oversized white knit swe

tiny red scrape, bare

nly a thin white undershirt against the biting wind, and w

bled as he exa

ared, his voice cracking w

ike? Did he touch y

y and dabbed at her tea

I screamed. Damian, I was so scared

ght now," Damian said, gathering her int

re alone in this city. Call me whenever you n

ters away, watch

icy sidewalk outside our apartment and badly sp

e an ice pack, and said: "If it really hurts, take a cab to th

sible scrape was being treat

lot, holding Blake, and finally

eps fa

n his arms, then at me st

, and panic warre

he said, his

She's hurt. I have to

" I sai

the crook of his neck a

hurts... ple

e an apologetic but guilty glan

e, Amelia! I'll

eel out of the parking lot with a scream of tires

four da