I return to my apartment with Steven at my heels, carrying my luggage. I spent the last fifteen minutes in the car telling him how busy I'll be the next week. I can't think of any time I'll be able to see him… I cite the documentary, which is coming down to the final production stages, and throw in a few slightly fictitious excuses that he readily accepts. He understands my deadline; after all, we've just been through the same thing with him as he finished his paper for the conference.
Unfortunately, my carefully constructed plan seems doomed to fall apart, when just inside the door, I spot a manila envelope on the floor and my heart beats with a fervor that starts in my chest and proceeds upwards to my temples. It settles in my jaw; my muscles tighten and my hands clench into fists.
I t
