Portrait of a Shadow by Meriam Metoui

Author:Meriam Metoui
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Last November

Inez sits in Dev’s apartment, eyeing the painting that rests on his kitchen wall. She sips her glass of white wine as Dev moves around the island, preparing dinner. He is telling her about the new Van Gogh art exhibit at the Met, but the words slip through her ears. She’s too absorbed to listen; her eyes can’t pull away from that alabaster canvas, or the way its shadows seem to slope and streak under the soft lighting.

“Inez?” he says, and his voice pulls her out of its spell. She takes a sip of her wine and looks at him.

“Hmm?”

“I said, are you ready for dinner?” He holds two plates of pasta, cacio e pepe made from scratch, and looks at her, waiting. It’s not until then that the smell of butter, fresh-cracked pepper, and cheese hits her, and suddenly she’s famished. She can’t remember the last time she ate. They move to his small dining table and she spins a forkful into her mouth before he’s even sat down.

“I’m glad this last dinner worked out. Six months is a long time without my favorite neighbor.”

“Six months?”

“South America? I leave next week. You knew that.”

“Of course I did.” But it must have slipped her mind because now her brain is connecting the dots, finding her way through what has felt like a four-year maze. And here, finally, she can see that wonderous exit. She looks at the painting hanging over his shoulder, and tonight, it seems to look back.

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