Things Withered Read Free Page A

crying out loud, I told him he was just going to hurt himself—and he did! He fell down those damn stairs and had a heart attack. The ambulance took him. But the hospital just called. He’s gone—”
    “I’m so sorry, Myrna.” Barney and Myrna were both building old-timers and rumour had it that they’d been doing it since Lincoln was a baby. Whether or not that was true, or whether they were just two people who’d become like family, I didn’t know and I guessed it didn’t matter now. “Is there anything I can do?”
    “Will you come and sit with me? Just for a moment? That new girl is here, but—” Myrna’s voice dropped to a whisper, “—
I hardly know her
.”
    “New girl?”
    “From 7A. She called 911. Stacy.”
    Stephanie.
    “Oh. How nice.” I looked at Kevin. His chest was rising and falling with ease. He was asleep. It was now 3:15. I was unlikely to get back to sleep whether I went up to comfort Myrna or not. I said I would just get dressed and be up.
    Myrna was tearily grateful. “That would be so nice of you, Anita. Thank you.”
    I threw on yoga pants and a hooded sweatshirt. I didn’t look my best, but it wasn’t even dawn. I avoided looking at myself in the elevator mirror. The new diet had really kicked in, but I could feel the brie cheese cobbler I’d had for lunch a couple of days earlier.
    The elevator doors opened on the 8 th floor and Stephanie was standing there. We had a surreal moment of surprise, the tiny tick of misplaced excitement that you can sometimes get when you’re up and about when no one else is.
    “Anita. How nice to see you.” Unlike me, Stephanie looked well put together considering the hour. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail that looked chic and sporty, in a way that only very young, very pretty girls can pull off. I felt fatter.
    “Yes. I guess I’m taking over. How is she?”
    Stephanie shrugged prettily. “Poor thing,” she leaned in a little closer, like a girlfriend. “I think her and Barney were involved.”
    “That’s the rumour. It
is
sad.” I opened my palm and showed her the tiny pill I had there. “I’ve brought her something to help her sleep.”
    “How clever of you.” We awkwardly changed places, I held the elevator doors open for her to get in and stepped out.
    “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” I said by way of closing.
    “Of course she will,” Stephanie said. She held the door open a moment. I smiled and turned to head over to Myrna’s.
    “Anita—” I looked back.
    “I have a friend, Lily. She’s wonderful. I’ve known her since I was a girl. I don’t know when Mr. Kloss’s apartment will be ready to rent . . . but, I hope you’ll consider her. I hope this isn’t too forward.”
    “Oh. Well,” was all I could say. I raised a hand in a half-wave and went to poor Myrna.
    I managed to make two commissions through May, one impressively large, the best I’d pulled in for more than six months, sadly. I was copying some paperwork when I ran into Richard on his way back to his office.
    “You barely scraped through this last quarter,” he said by way of greeting.
But I did.
I didn’t say it, but rather just looked at him expectantly, wishing he would go away. He didn’t.
    “Can you stop by my office when you’re through here?” he asked. He offered no explanation as to why. I said I would. He turned to go and just as I was breathing, he turned back and said, “Way to sparkle on the Cavalier Street haul. That’s a good sale.”
    “Thanks.” I took my time.
    His door was partially open but I tapped lightly anyway. He called out for me to come in.
    “Anita, I’d like you to meet Lacey Johnson, the newest member of our team.”
    Standing next to his desk was a young woman, about thirty, in a well-cut suit which I noticed right off, since wearing such a thing was so far in my past I might have winced with longing if I’d been alone.
    “Hello,” I said, attempting a smile. Her smile was electric and so