Page 208 of Callan

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.

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