Somehow I ended up riding back in Ben’s car.
The anxiety of facing Liam again was muffled
by Ben’s nonstop chatter. Getting back to the
city went better than expected. I nailed the
interview, and was scheduled to start next
week. I found an apartment near my new job.
Two days later, Ben became my next–door
neighbor. I saw the moving trucks when I took
out the trash. He was standing there with his
sleeves rolled up, directing the movers.
“What are you doing here?”
11:55
54
“Wanted to surprise you, but you caught me.” He took the trash bag out of my hand. “I missed
your cooking, so I thought I’d become your
neighbor again, and eat some more of your great food.”
I was actually kind of happy he was here.
Having a friendly face next door in a new place made me feel better.
“Okay, I’ll make something to celebrate your
move.”
We decided to have hotpot. It was boiling hot, and Ben scooped a piece of meat out and put it in my bowl. I took a bite and had to gulp down
my drink.
“You can’t handle the heat? I thought you liked
spicy food!”
“I guess it’s been a while, maybe I just got out
of practice.”
<
How long had it been, anyway? I used to love
hotpot. Grandma and I would eat it together, she’d have the mild broth, I’d get the spicy
stuff. Once, when Liam was working late, I
brought him food, but it was all cold. It was
snowing, so I suggested we go out for hotpot. I
took him to my favorite place. Liam was picky,
so I got a split broth. He frowned the whole
time.
On the way home he said, “Never again. You’ll
stink for hours.” I never had it again. If you
don’t eat something for a while, your taste buds
change.
But I got into it, and started sweating again. I
was happy. After dinner, Ben cleaned up and
opened the windows before taking out the
trash.
Back in the city, things were quieter than I
expected. The media had forgotten about the
missing Mrs. Sterling. The Sterling family didn’t
<
11:55
try to find me. No one really seemed to care.
The media was more focused on Liam’s
assistant. I flicked through the gossip articles,
seeing shots of them together. It was so
ridiculous.
54
Did Liam really love Amy that much? In the
pictures, Liam was bending over, letting this
woman adjust his tie. He’d make sure she was
safe getting in and out of the car. When it
rained, she held the umbrella and he’d grab it
and make sure she was completely covered. It
was like love was so easy, just a new face to
plaster it on.
Liam had always kept Amy’s memory secret.
There weren’t any old pictures of her floating
around. Everyone thought I’d been replaced. If I
was still with him, I’d be waiting for a husband
who never came home. But I was at work, going
to meetings.
And also yelling at my neighbor. “Ben, I told you
<
to stop that!” I pushed his head away, he’d
been resting on my shoulder.
