The adult section looked completely unfamiliar to me.
The children’s room didn’t.
It was smaller than I remembered.
Far smaller.
I moved slowly past the shelves until I reached the back corner.
“There used to be a blue rug.”
Claire pointed. “Right there.”
Now the rug was gray.
I lowered myself into one of the small chairs at a little table.
My knees barely fit underneath.
Claire remained near the doorway.
I looked around the room.
Then I noticed a display filled with adventure books.
Another piece of memory returned.
Nora slamming a book shut.
Me accusing her of skipping three pages.
Her telling me I was just slow.
I laughed before I meant to.
Claire didn’t ask what was funny.
“She cheated,” I said.
“Oh, constantly.”
“She skipped ahead.”
“Also constantly.”
“I hated that.”
“She knew.”
I glanced over at Claire.
She smiled, but the smile wasn’t really for me.
