Chapter 07.01

The next morning, my classes began. I didn’t feel like I was behind in anything. Alongside my regular courses, I signed up for a few language classes—strictly out of curiosity.

The first day was easy; in many classes, we were just reviewing. The classrooms resembled those at my old school, far across the country—semi-circular rows of tiered desks arranged so the teacher on the podium remained clearly visible. The walls looked like they hadn’t been painted in a while, but there were projectors here too, just like back there. The quality of teaching hadn’t declined, and that’s what mattered to me.

If I had a class with Dave, I usually sat next to him, somewhere in the middle, near the edge of the row. If we didn’t sit together, he always made sure I found the right room.

At lunchtime, I grabbed a quick sandwich and headed off to find my girlfriend in the city park.

The park was enormous—I couldn’t even see its edges at first glance. It wasn’t fenced in; it was open from the sides, though where it bordered a road, a hedge offered some protection for the people inside. A sidewalk and a bike path ran through the center, lined with benches. The trees were planted at random, but more were clustered near the playgrounds, which were fenced off from animals. Those areas also had more benches.

As I walked, several more paths and bike lanes crossed mine, but cars were only allowed on a narrow road that cut across the park’s center—and only from one direction. There really wasn’t much traffic. Thanks to the good weather, groups of students and couples were lounging everywhere.

It took me nearly half an hour of walking before I found my girlfriend.

Jenny was exactly where Paul had said she’d be. I smiled at how predictable she could be. She wore jeans and a T-shirt, as always, when she didn’t want to be approached.

On the far side of the park, there was a fenced-in playground with benches, shaded by a massive tree. Jenny was sitting on the other side of that tree, just a few meters from the hedge that separated the park from the road. If you didn’t know where to look, you’d never spot her. I loved that she could find places like this.

Her blanket was laid out in partial shade, far enough from the tree trunk, the hedge, and any bugs. She was eating from a plastic container while reading. I leaned against a smaller tree and watched her. I had promised not to call her, so I didn’t.

Someone tapped my shoulder gently. I turned around—it was Paul. Without a word, he pulled me behind a row of bushes.

“What are you doing? Stalking?” he laughed. “Jane’s waiting for me.”

“I’m thinking about walking over to her,” I said quietly.

“She’ll be rushing off to class in a few minutes,” Paul replied, glancing at his watch.

“Maybe I should’ve told her everything back at Tony’s,” I muttered.

“Well,” Paul chuckled, “then Susy would’ve been waiting with all those girly snacks for nothing.”

“She came to your place afterward?” I asked. “I thought she went to the store.”

“She told Susy and me in advance that she’d be coming over in the afternoon—and that she wouldn’t be in much better shape than she was on New Year’s Eve,” Paul said. “Though she was doing a bit better,” he added with a smile. “She was disappointed in her judgment of people.”

“How so?” I asked, instinctively glancing toward the spot where Jenny sat, hidden behind the greenery.

“She was sure you wouldn’t go back—even if you didn’t want her, she believed you wouldn’t ruin your life over it. But you didn’t say a word to her.”

“Yeah… maybe not saying anything was a mistake.”

“There’s a game at Brian’s this weekend,” Paul said with a sly smile. “If you play it right, she could be the last one,” he winked. “Gotta run now,” he added, and left me standing there.

Paul headed toward Jenny from the side, making sure she wouldn’t look in my direction.

I checked the time and started walking back toward school.