Deacon turned to Avery. “Ave, Rune hasn’t spoken to Poppy in years, I’ve told you this. She doesn’t even know him anymore. Of course she wouldn’t know he was coming back, why would he even tell her?”
I listened to Deacon and knew he wasn’t being cruel to me. But it didn’t mean that his words didn’t cut as deeply as a spear through the heart. And now I knew; I knew that Rune never spoke of me. It was obvious he and Deacon had remained close. It was obvious to me that I was nothing to him now. That I was never mentioned.
Avery shrugged. “I just wondered, is all. She and Rune were inseparable until he left.”
Taking this as my cue to leave, I waved my hand. “I have to go.” I quickly turned and headed home. I decided to cut through the park that would lead me to the blossom grove. As I walked through the empty grove, the cherry blossom trees bare of their pretty leaves, a sadness filled me.
These bare branches were as empty as I felt. Yearning for the thing that made them complete, but knowing that no matter how much they wished, they couldn’t get them back until spring.
The world simply didn’t work that way.
When I got home, my mama was in the kitchen. Ida and Savannah were sitting at the table doing their homework.
“Hey, baby,” said my mama. I walked over and gave her a hug, holding on to her waist just that little bit tighter than usual.
My mama tilted up my head, a worried look in her tired eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just tired, Mama. I’m gonna go lie down.”
My mama didn’t let me go. “You sure?” she asked, laying her palm on my forehead, checking my temperature.
“Yeah,” I promised, moving her hand and kissing her cheek.
I made my way to my bedroom. I stared out the window at the Kristiansen house. It was unchanged. No different than the day they had left to return to Oslo.
They hadn’t sold it. Mrs. Kristiansen had told my mama that they knew they’d be back at some point, so they kept it. They loved the neighborhood and loved the house. A housekeeper had cleaned and maintained it every few weeks for two years to make sure it would be ready for their return.
Today, all the curtains were drawn back and the windows were open to let in the fresh air. The housekeeper was clearly preparing it for their imminent arrival. The homecoming that I was dreading.
Drawing the curtains that my daddy put up for me when I returned home a few weeks ago, I lay on my bed and closed my eyes. I hated feeling fatigued all of the time. By nature, I was an active person, viewing sleep as a waste of time when it could be spent out in the world, exploring and making memories.
But now I had no choice.
I pictured Rune in my mind’s eye, and his face stayed with me as I fell into a dream. It was the dream I dreamed most nights—Rune holding me in his arms, kissing my lips and telling me that he loved me.
I didn’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up, it was to the sound of trucks arriving. Loud banging and familiar voices came from across the yard.
Sitting up, I wiped the sleep from my eyes. Realization dawned on me.
He was here.
My heart began to pound. It beat so fast that I gripped myself for fear it would leap out of my chest.
He was here.
He was here.
I got out of bed and positioned myself in front of the drawn curtains. I leaned in close so I could hear what was going on. I picked out my mama’s and daddy’s voices amongst the drone, along with the familiar sounds of Mr. and Mrs. Kristiansen.
Smiling, I reached out to pull back a curtain. I stopped; I didn’t want them to see me. Backing away, I rushed upstairs to my daddy’s office. It was the only other window that looked out onto their house, a window where I could hide in plain sight due to the light tint that shielded it from the bright sun.
I moved to the left-hand side of the window, just in case anyone glanced up. I smiled again when my eyes fell upon Rune’s parents. They looked barely any different. Mrs. Kristiansen was still as beautiful as ever. Her hair was cut shorter, but apart from that she was exactly the same. Mr. Kristiansen had gone slightly grayer, and he looked like he’d lost some weight, but the difference was small.
A young blond boy ran out the front door, and my hand flew to my mouth when I saw it was little Alton. He would be four now, I calculated. He’d grown so much. And his hair was just like his brother’s, long and straight. My heart squeezed. He looked exactly like a young Rune.
I watched the movers refurnish the house with incredible speed. But there was no sign of Rune.
Eventually my parents came back inside, but I kept vigil by the window, waiting patiently for the boy who had been my world for so long that I didn’t know where he began and I ended.
Over an hour passed. Night drew in and I was giving up hope of seeing him at all. As I was about to leave the office, I saw movement from behind the Kristiansens’ house.