CHAPTER 16

it was midday when parsley arrived at her new apartment. It was high up on the thirty-first floor and looked out over the city to the sea. In the living room, it had a glass wall with long yellow drapes pulled open. And throughout, from the kitchen to the bathroom and bedroom, was a white marble floor. Her favorite part, though, was the balcony outside. It was wide and had a bench and chairs set out and southward facing to catch the sun. She sat there, warming herself, thinking about the past few days, and felt utterly detached from the world. Like she had done so long ago when her father died. And just like then, she cried.

Two hours later, there was a knock at the door. It was a short man with thin, mousey brown hair and thin spectacles. "Where is Kevin?" She asked.

Dan laughed, "He's busy at work. They're super busy right now bug-fixing for a release next month. All-hands-on-deck and all that."

"You work in the same company, don't you?" said parsley. "So why is he busy and not you?