Half
an hour later, he brushed himself off, an animal on the earth, needing
food and warmth.
"Where have you been?" Jennifer asked.
"I ran into a friend who's moving," he said. "Sorry to be so long."
"Emma's asleep again."
"Cold out there. Bagels," Oliver said, raising the bag. "I'm hungry."
16.
Emma turned over. Emma crawled. Emma made smiling googling noises when
Oliver came home and picked her up. Jennifer had three months of
maternity leave, and she arranged to work part time for six months
after that. Oliver did not get life insurance, but he worked steadily
at the hospital. He took another smaller project to round out the week
and to try and get a few bucks ahead.
Francesca did not come into Oliver's mind while he was busy. Sometimes
he thought of her when he was extra tired. She was a reassuring
presence, even though she was far away. Sunday mornings, when he went
out for bagels and a paper, he often wished that he were driving to
Crescent Beach to bring her coffee. Instead, he would sit for a minute
in his Jeep remembering the calm that they shared. Then he would drive
home, play with Emma, and do things around the apartment.
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