Contrition by Maura Weiler

Author:Maura Weiler
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Infinite Words

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The moment I rattled the key in my front door lock, the apartment door across the hall opened and a bunch of sunflowers popped out. Matt soon followed.

“Welcome back, Dorie.” He held out his peace offering. “Listen, I’m sorry I freaked out on you. I had no right to judge you.”

“I’m sorry, too.” I dropped the duffel inside my apartment and took the cheerful blooms. “Thank you, but I should be buying you flowers. You were right. It wouldn’t be ethical to publish anything about my sister without her permission, so I won’t.” I didn’t mention that Phil might fire me as a result. “I wanted to do a story on something pure to make up for all the crap I’ve put out there with my name on it, but exploiting Catherine won’t bring me journalistic redemption.”

“You hardly need to be redeemed.” Matt hugged me. “But you do need to be fed. You feel a little bony around the ribs.”

He grabbed his coat and squired me to his Jeep.

Half an hour later, we ate at Hurry Curry. My huge bowl of udon noodles and side of sashimi looked almost obscene. I pushed the food around with chopsticks, unsure what to do with it.

“What’s the matter?” Matt asked between bites. “I thought you’d be craving your all-time favorite meal after two weeks of stems and seeds with the vegetarians.”

“My stomach must’ve shrunk.” I touched my belly in search of some extra room there. “This would be two days’ worth of calories at the convent.”

“Want to go somewhere else?” Matt leaned forward on the edge of his seat. “Burgers, Italian, whatever you want.”

“No, this is fine. I guess I’m not that hungry after all.” I set my chopsticks down. “I’ll get a box for it.”

When we left the restaurant a few minutes later, I took my to-go container from Matt and went around the corner of the building. I set my leftovers on top of the shopping cart of a homeless man asleep there. When I turned back, Matt stood watching me.

“He probably won’t eat sashimi, but maybe he’ll like the noodles,” I said as we returned to the car.

“How did you know that guy was there?”

“I’ve seen him around here before.” I hopped into the Jeep. “But I never had anything to give him until now.”

• • •

Back outside our apartment building, Matt took my hand and led me to the ocean. It was our first walk on the beach together since our dating days. Tiny, brown birds with curved beaks ran back and forth with each wave, pecking for dinner in the wet sand. I’d never noticed them or their industry before. On our way back, we stopped at the circle of rock cairns and totems that stood like sentinels and paused to cap them with our own stone additions.

“You’re awfully quiet for someone so fond of talking,” Matt said, kicking sand at me as he built up a cairn.

“Guess I’m out of practice.” I slipped off my flip-flops and kicked sand back, careful not to upset the wobbly balance of rocks on my totem.

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