Ziggy is almost deliriously happy to be going to the dog park. Like โbackyard,โ he seems to recognize the words, and he pants happily at the idea of it. I guess heโs a social dog. Although just about everything seems to excite him. I wish I had a tenth of his happiness.
Weโre taking the car to the supermarket, and weโre going to stop at the dog park on the way. It seems crazy to take the car five blocks, but weโll need it to get all the groceries home.
Itโs frustrating that I canโt drive. I always liked to drive. I love the feeling of the steering wheel under my fingers and my foot on the gas pedal as music blasts on the radio. I wonder if thereโs any chance Iโll be able to drive again in the future. It doesnโt seem likely. The thought of it would probably make me depressed, but itโs hard to feel too sad when Ziggy is bouncing around and licking me.
Camila attaches Ziggyโs leash to his collar, and weโre about to head out the door when she stops short. She reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. She stands there, reading a message off the screen.
โOh,โ she says. โGrahamโs going to be home early.โ I force a smile. โGreat.โ
By the time I see him, Iโll have sorted out whatโs going on here. Iโll have met the mysterious stranger at the dog park and Iโll finally have some answers. For better or worse.
โSo we better just go straight to the supermarket then,โ Camila says. โYou can take Ziggy to the dog park later with Graham.โ
My heart sinks. โButโฆ Ziggy is ready to goโฆโ
She shrugs. โIโm sorry. Youโll have to go later with Graham.โ
Withย Graham? No, that definitely wonโt work.
โCanโt you drop me off at the dog park while you go shopping?โ
She shakes her head. โI canโt do that. Itโs not safe.โ
A muscle twitches in my jaw. โItโs notย safe? Iโm a grown woman. What do you think Iโm going to do?โ
Camilaโs pretty brown eyes darken. โItโs my job to stay with you today. Weโre going shopping together, then youโll go to the dog park later. Got it?โ
I open my mouth to protest, but then I realize itโs pointless. I wonโt convince Camila of anything. But once she unlocks that door, thereโs not much she can do. She canโt tackle me to keep me from walking away from her. Iโll pretend to go shopping with her, but then when Iโm at the supermarket, Iโll just leave.
โFine,โ I say.
Camila rubs her chin, studying my face. Finally, she nods. โAll right, then. Letโs get going.โ
I never asked what season it is, but I surmised from all the leaves in our backyard that it must be early fall. Camila opens up the hall closet and hands me a gray zip-up sweater. The feel of the sweater is so soft in my hands, I want to wrap my whole body in it. I want toย batheย in this sweater. I check the label.
โCashmere!โ
Camila snorts. โIt sure is.โ
I look at the sweater, almost too intimidated to put it on. โI canโt afford cashmere.โ
โOf course you can. You guys are rich.โ
I think back to all of those articles I read about my company. About how well it was doing. I still canโt quite wrap my head around it. It feels like it must be some sort of mistake.
Either way, I already own this sweater. So I may as well put it on.
Ziggy seems heartbroken that weโre not taking him with us on our trip. Iโm not sure who feels worse about itโhim or me. Camila unlocks the front door with the key around her neck, and I observe her carefully, noticing the shape of the key. Thereโs got to be a spare key around here somewhere. They wouldnโt risk being trapped here if there were a fire or something.
Camila drives a rusty green Nissan thatโs parked out in front of the house. As we walk out to her car, I wonder what she would do if I took off running. Would she chase me? Call the police? In any case, I donโt think it would be a great idea to make a scene in my own neighborhood. Iโll get away from her at the supermarket, which is only a short walk from the dog park.
โSo how does it usually work when we go shopping?โ I ask as I buckle myself in. โDo I have to follow you around?โ
Camila starts up the car, which makes a strange crunching noise. It doesnโt instill a lot of confidence in me. But Iโm already brain damagedโwhatโs the worst that could happen? โYou usually grab a basket and do your own shopping.โ
โExcept I wonโt remember what I bought by tomorrow.โ โTrue.โ She winks at me. โBut isnโt the shopping part
the most fun?โ
Camila slides a pair of sunglasses onto her nose, then she takes off down the block, the wheels of the car screeching in protest. As she drives far too fast, she fiddles with the radio controls using her right hand. She hits on an R&B station and turns the volume all the way up. I want to text the stranger to let them know I wonโt make it to meet them, but I canโt let Camila see me doing it. If this person truly wants to help me, I canโt risk it.
The dog park is on the way to the supermarket. Itโs about the halfway point. I look out the window as we approach the park, my heart accelerating.
The dog park is a large enclosed space at the far end of the parkโfenced in so the dogs can roam free without fear of them running away. Camila skids to a stop at a red light, so I get a closer look at the dog park. There are three people inside. Two of them are women, who are animatedly chatting with each other. That leaves the other occupant of the dog park.
Itโs a man. I can tell that much. But itโs hard to tell much else. Heโs wearing a dark baseball cap low on his forehead, a pair of sunglasses concealing his eyes, and a beard covers the lower half of his face. Heโs wearing a pair of baggy jeans and a dark brown jacket, his hands shoved deep into the jacket pockets.
I stare at this man. Is this the person whoโs been texting me? Is that possible?
The man looks up at the Nissan. Even though heโs got on his sunglasses, I can feel his eyes on me. Heโs staring right at me. And then he takes his sunglasses off.
Holy crap. Is thatโฆ
Harry?
My mouth falls open. I want to roll down the window and call to him, but Iโm not even sure itโs him, and anyway, the light has turned green and Camila is speeding away. I sit back in my seat, gripping my knees with frustration.
Itโs him. Iโm sure of it. Iย knewย he would never have abandoned me. We loved each other too much.
โCamila, could I wait at the park while youโre shopping?โ I ask desperately.
โWait at the park?โ She frowns at me. โWhat are you talking about? Weโre just going to be at the supermarket for fifteen minutes. Then weโll head back.โ
โYes, butโโ I canโt tell her why I want to go to the park without giving it away. โI just think it would be nice to have some fresh air.โ
โGraham will take you there later. Donโt worry about it.โ
Iโm not going to change her mind, but it doesnโt matter. As soon as we get to the supermarket and Iโm out of her sight, Iโm going to the dog park myself. Iโll text Harry to wait for me.
The parking lot for the supermarket is nearly empty. I had been hoping it would be more crowded so it would be easier to slip away, but itโs the early afternoon on a weekday, so that was unrealistic. Camila tosses her sunglasses in the car and we get out together. As she stretches from the drive, a man in the parking lot lets out a low whistle. She snorts and rolls her eyes.
โYou wish,โ she remarks.
Itโs hard not to notice all the appreciative looks Camila gets as we walk to the supermarket together. From menย andย women. Sheโs beautiful, like a sculpture. Even I canโt help but admire her. Graham probablyโฆ
No. I need to stop thinking about that. Anyway, I donโt care. It wouldnโt bother me in the slightest if the two of them were having an affair. Theyโre both strangers to me, after all.
When we get inside the supermarket, Camila grabs a shopping cart and hands me a basket. She looks me straight in the eyes. โFifteen minutes, then we meet at check out, okay?โ When I donโt respond, she says, โYou got me,ย chica?โ โUh-huh.โ I bob my head. โIs there anything in particular
that we need? Anything I should look for?โ
โYou let me take care of that,โ she says. โYou get whatever you want. Something to help you enjoy the rest of the day.โ
I get the subtext of what sheโs saying. Whatever I buy, it should be something I can use today. Because by tomorrow, I likely wonโt even remember I have it.
Camila takes off for the dairy aisle. I watch her disappear into the distance while I head to the display of soaps. It always amazed Harry that there could be an entire aisle just filled with soaps.ย Why do you need a separate
soap for your face and your hands? Arenโt they all basically the same thingโsoap?
I pick up a bottle of watermelon soap. I pretend to consider buying it, in case Camila is watching me. But then with my other hand, I pull out my phone. I punch in a message to the same number that texted me this morning:
Iโm at the supermarket. I just need to get away from Camila then Iโll come to the dog park. Iโll be there in 15 minutes.
The reply comes almost instantly:
No, you wonโt. Delete these messages.
What is he talking about? Iโm a ten-minute walk away. Camila is nowhere in sight. Does he think I donโt know how to get to the dog park?
Iโll be there. 15 minutes.
Donโt try it. Delete these messages.
I frown. Before I can stop myself, I type:ย Harry?
Three bubbles flash on the screen repeatedly as I wait for his reply. My legs feel almost weak as the message pops up on the screen:
Delete these messages. Now.
Damn it.
I do what he says. I delete the messages on my phone. But I have not aborted the plan. I can make it to the dog park. I just hope he waits for me.
I drop the basket Iโve been carrying on my elbow onto the ground. I peek along the edge of the aisle, making sure
Camila isnโt in sight. Weโre supposed to meet in about fifteen minutes. So thatโs how long I have until she notices Iโm gone. Itโs plenty of time.
I tuck my hair behind my earsโI still canโt quite get used to how short it is. Why did I cut it? I had assumed it had something to do with the surgery I had after my head injury, but I donโt know what to believe anymore. I miss my hair.
I stride purposefully in the direction of the exit. Once Iโm outside, Iโll turn left, and then itโs a five-block straight shot to the park. Itโs funny how I remember it so well. I know how to get to the dog park, but somehow I canโt remember the man I am supposedly married to. Thereโs something seriously wrong with that.
I reach the sliding door, prepared to break into a sprint the second I step outside. But just as the automatic doors slide open, a large hand closes around my arm like a vise. And then a deep male voice booms in my ear:
โWhere do you thinkย youโreย going?โ