And there, on the other side, is Amorea.
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XXV
HE HAS a house.
There is a sign out front that says SOLD!
In this house there is a cat named Martin.
There are clothes and furniture and a radio.
There are jazz records too. Dizzy Gillespie.
He has a fenced backyard.
He has a shop.
There are books inside.
And comfy chairs, perfect in case anyone wants to start a book club.
People greet him with smiles on their faces.
They are curious about him, this new man in Amorea.
They introduce themselves.
He does the same.
He shakes their hands and thinks, I know what you did. I know what all of you did.
He meets Happy first, who comes by Bookworm to introduce himself.
He shakes his hand. Smiles and thinks, Your dog ate your feet while your kiddie porn was locked away.
Donald is next. “Big guy, ain’t ya?” he says with a smile. He tries not to think about what this man is capable of.
Calvin comes a day later. Nice guy.
He knows if he’s going to get this right, if there’s any hope to recreate what came before, he has to wait.
And he does.
For seven days.
They’re the longest days of his life.
He passes by the diner every morning and every night.
He sees the people inside.
He resolutely doesn’t look for the person he wants to see the most.
Once, on the fourth day, he thinks he sees him anyway, and his heart thunders in his chest as he hurries on to the store.
Mrs. Richardson introduces herself on the sixth day. She doesn’t smell of alcohol. Her minions titter behind her. She appraises him briefly and says, “It’s very nice to meet you. I am the head of the Amorea Women’s Club. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” She hands him a casserole and tells him it’ll hold until he’s ready to eat it.