The Master received a phone call and stepped out into the corridor. I finished eating and waited for him, but he never came back. Lucille took coffee to his office, and when she returned, she said that the Master was busy and had instructed me to go to my room.
I spent a long time thinking about what he had said—about feelings, and about why he had chosen me. It felt like I was beginning to understand him. Or at least, I told myself that I did. With those thoughts, I fell asleep.
The entire next day, I replayed our conversation over and over in my mind. Every word, every pause, every glance. I searched for meaning in things I might have imagined. By evening, the Master returned in a good mood. I was sitting in the living room reading when he entered the house.
“Liya. Today I spoke with
