After Shirley was taken into custody, Felix left Liverpool.
He left a letter for me at the front desk. The envelope was thin. There was only one line inside:
I won't come back. You can have your peace.
I put the letter in my drawer. I didn't write back, but I didn't throw it away either.
Life just kept moving.
Up at six. In the lab by seven. Back in my dorm by ten.
My side gigs started to thin out. The director pulled me onto the core team.
He said, "You're not here for some side hustle. You're here to rebuild the bridges you had to burn."
That's when I learned that when you're truly busy, your pain has to take a number and wait its turn.
One morning, right before dawn, I finished my last round of data and walked out of the building. The only lights on in the whole place were the
