Chapter 7
After wonderfully bright and pleasantly mild months of September and October, fall finally roared in like a lion in November and the weather seemed to turn simultaneously cold and cloudy overnight. I layered up for my morning runs and found myself returning to the confines of my apartment after work rather than venturing out for anything other than basic necessities. During one of these ventures to the local Whole Foods one evening, I ran into Olivia while we both were leaving the store. She looked surprisingly good bundled in a heavy down coat and knit hat with the baby strapped to her chest in a carrier. When she saw me, a weird expression covered her face. I almost turned and fled from her, but I didn’t.
“Hi,” I said, approaching her.
“Hi,” she said hesitantly.
We stood th
