Chapter 9 - Ghosts in the Rearview
A month later, I was picking up coffee at a quiet cafe near the docks in downtown Annapolis when I saw Marlene.
She was standing near the register, counting out crumpled dollar bills to pay for a simple drip coffee. She looked older, her silver hair unstyled, wearing a faded coat that had seen better days. When she turned around and saw me standing in line, she froze.
For a moment, I thought she was going to scream at me again, to cause a scene in front of the morning commuters.
Instead, her shoulders slumped. She looked at my neat business suit, my polished leather tote bag, and the calm composure on my face. She knew that any anger she threw at me would simply bounce off, completely powerless.
"He's living in my basement," Marlene said softly, her voice carrying no fight left. "He can't find a job. Nobody in town will hire him after the public filings."
"Grant is young enough to start over, Marlene," I said politely, keeping my distance. "If he chooses to work hard instead of looking for shortcuts."
"You could have spared him," she whispered. "You had enough. You didn't need to take everything."
"I didn't take anything that belonged to him," I replied gently. "I simply took back what belonged to me."
May you like
She stared at me for another second, swallowed hard, and shuffled out the door into the cool autumn air without saying another word.
I ordered my coffee, walked out to my car, and took a deep breath of the crisp sea breeze. The past was finally where it belonged—behind me.
