Ebony came home to Anna’s house with a man she had dated just three times. They went inside, and the man left two hours later. From a dark, covert position across the street, Simon watched Ebony kiss her date goodnight at the front door. It was a long, lingering kiss, just like the kisses she once said were reserved only for him.
Simon watched the man climb into his car, and he watched Ebony wave goodbye as he drove away. Ebony stood silently on the porch for a few seconds, watching the vehicle taillights fade in the distance, then she turned, went inside the house and closed the door behind her. It was dark, but Simon was sure Ebony was smiling as she disappeared inside the house.
Something inside Simon broke. For what seemed like an eternity but was in fact just a few minutes, he sat a
