Chapter 20 - The Staircase House Is Sold Again
Years later, Margaret’s old house came on market.
New owners had renovated.
Staircase gone.
Open-plan room.
Lily found listing.
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
“Can we go?”
Open house.
We went.
Daniel.
Me.
Lily.
Not Vanessa.
Her choice.
Standing where staircase had been, my body remembered angle.
Hand.
Fall.
Daniel caught me.
I touched floor.
Different wood.
Nothing sacred.
Lily said:
“This is weird.”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to leave?”
“No.”
We walked through.
Kitchen smaller than memory.
Dining room ordinary.
Trauma enlarges architecture too.
Outside, Lily asked:
“Do you wish party never happened?”
“Of course.”
“But then family wouldn’t have changed.”
I stopped.
“No.”
She looked confused.
“I will never call being pushed while pregnant a good thing because later people improved.”
Important.
“Growth doesn’t make harm necessary.”
She nodded.
“I hate when people say everything happens for reason.”
“Me too.”
We laughed.
We left.
May you like
House sold to strangers.
Good.
