Chapter 15 - The Room Without a Sign
Tanya found another space for the co-op in the basement of a community center. It had old linoleum, folding tables, and a heating system that rattled like a shopping cart. The rent was higher, but three parents offered to cover the difference until fundraising caught up.
Nora came on Saturday to help move the yellow chairs. She expected cool looks. Instead Tanya handed her a roll of packing tape.
“We still need you to run story hour,” she said.
“I thought everybody wanted me away from this.”
“Some people were scared. Some still are. That's not the same as not wanting you here.”
A father named Eli raised his hand from the far side of the room. “For what it's worth, I was one of the scared ones. I said we should pause the program. My kid cried for two days. I should've come to you instead of talking in a group chat.”
Nora wanted to tell him off. She also knew how quickly fear could sound like certainty. She handed him a chair and said, “Take these downstairs.”
At noon Sal arrived without warning, carrying a box of extension cords. He'd heard about the move from a neighbor, not Nora. The parents stopped moving furniture.
Nora led him into the hall. “You can't just show up where Rosie spends time.”
“I thought I could help.”
“You could ask first.”
Sal looked at the box. “I should've called.”
He started toward the exit. Nora hesitated. The cords might actually help, but accepting them without a boundary would undo the conversation she'd just had with him.
“Leave them with Tanya,” she said. “Then go home. I'll tell you when there's a day you can visit.”
He obeyed. No argument, no wounded speech. He placed the box beside the door and left.
When the room had emptied, Tanya said, “That looked difficult.”
“It was.”
“You okay?”
Nora glanced at the half-built book shelf. “Ask me after we find the missing screws.”
They laughed and worked until the lights flickered on.
At home, Victor's number appeared on Nora's phone for the first time since he'd come to her door. She let it ring, then listened to the voicemail with Ben beside her.
His voice was rough. “I was wrong about Rosie. I want to tell you that in person. But I need you to hear something too. Dad isn't the only one who's going to lose everything if this gets dragged out.”
Ben stopped the recording. “He wants another deal.”
“Maybe,” Nora said. “Or maybe he finally sounds scared.”
May you like
She called Victor back and agreed to meet once, in daylight, with Ben present.
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