I Came Home From Teaching All Day to Find a Lock on My Own Pantry

a rehearsal for something that would begin without me.

I stood up. My legs were steady. Forty years of standing in front of rooms full of children will do that for you.

“I am going to my room. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

No one called after me. Clare murmured for me to rest well, and I closed my bedroom door, stopped the recording, and sat on my continue reading …