Chapter 6

The rain was still falling when I left the hospital. I stood at the bus stop, watching the rainwater form small streams on the ground. My heart felt blocked by something, stifling and suffocating. The rain soaked my hair, streaming down my cheeks; I couldn't tell if it was rain or tears. I walked aimlessly, and before I knew it, I had arrived at the old alley where my mother used to live. The plane tree at the entrance to the alley was just as I remembered, only thicker. I remembered when we were kids, Liam Sullivan loved climbing this tree and then jumping down to startle me. Once, he lost his balance, fell to the ground, and scraped his knee bloody, but he still laughed and said, "Evelyn, do I look like a hero?" I walked to the door of the old house and took out my key. Pushing the door open, a familiar musty smell hit me. The weeds in the courtyard were taller than a person. The furnishings inside were exactly as I had left them. My mother's sewing machine was still by the w