After that, Caleb really did wait for a long time.
He sold the new home and moved into an ordinary two-bedroom apartment. He quit his old job, moved to another city, and started over at the bottom, doing project work.
Some people said he had lost his mind. Others said it was all for show.
I stopped paying attention.
I applied for a long-term contract in Asterford, started finding my footing in a different culture, and got to know new colleagues. On weekends, I went to museums alone and took the subway out to the suburbs.
I still thought about the baby.
I thought about how I had only been 6 weeks pregnant, and how that tiny life had never gotten the chance to see the world before being swallowed by the wreckage of two adults' terrible choices.
I had blamed Caleb, and I had blamed mys
