Julia almost missed him.
She was running three minutes late for pickup Nora's teacher had sent a note that morning about a parent meeting next week and Julia had stopped at the office to confirm the time and then the woman ahead of her in the corridor had questions and by the time Julia reached the school gate the other parents were already clustered in their familiar groups, talking and scrolling and doing the particular waiting that school pickup required.
She was scanning the crowd for Nora's class when she saw him.
Daniel.
Standing slightly apart from the other parents the way he stood apart from most things not deliberately, just naturally, like a man who had never quite learned how to occupy space without owning it.
He was holding a takeaway box.
Julia stopped walking.
He sa
