Yours Truly 2016 / Cascadia College / Bothell, WA | Page 79

Sounds good. Shift ends in 30 minutes.

See you in 45?

See you.

When she arrived, she went to sit next
to him on a busted yellow cab, surrounded
by all sorts of demolished cars, parts, house
appliances, and metal. He had an earbud in
one ear and was scrolling through his cell
phone.
“Can you do something for me?” Nora
held up the package. “Open this box. Don’t
tell me everything that’s in it, but if there’s
a letter from Aron, I want you to read it and
tell me if it’s good or bad.”
“Good or bad?” he asked. “What does
that mean?”
“I just want to know if it’s worth my time.
Whatever is in there will help me decide.”

He took the package and opened it.

“There’s a letter,” he said.

“Read it, please.”

He read it, then told her the nature of
what it said.

“What else is in the box?” she asked.

He told her. Then he lay back on the
hood of the cab and listened to music while
she thought. She avoided looking into the
package herself. Sean eventually picked it
up.

“I’ll dump it for you,” he offered.

She stopped him. “No. I’ll keep it. I’ll
decide what to do.”
***

In the letter, Aron asked to meet at the
coffee shop. Nothing else. After finding out
what was in the box, Nora decided to go.
She sat by the window, nervous about
the confrontation. Aron always had a way of
making her feel childish and stupid. The only
thing Nora was interested in was an apology,
and perhaps she would get one today. She
still had no idea what Aron was going to say.
Looking out the window, she saw the
familiar car pulling into the parking lot.
Her heart sped up in a panic, and she
remembered every little thing Aron had ever
said to make her feel bad about herself.
You’re stupid. You’re a bitch. You’re weak.
You’re pathetic. You’re a loser.
Why was she here again? Was it really
worth putting herself through a confrontation
with her tormentor just so she might get an
apology?
Nora watched Aron step out of the car
and come into the shop, settling herself
into the seat across from her. She smiled a
deceivingly warm kind of smile that put Nora
on edge. When Sean came to take Aron’s
order, she asked for a complicated drink,
giving him instructions on how to make it.
She turned and fixed her stare on Nora.
“So,” she said, keeping her tone light.
“What’s going on?”
Her gaze made Nora feel like she was
standing under a helicopter spotlight.
“I don’t know. What is going on?” she
managed to say without letting her voice
tremble.
“You haven’t
while.”

talked

to

me

in

a

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