Ethan did too.
Different colleges.
That shocked everyone.
They had spent most of childhood together.
Now:
Lily to Massachusetts for biomedical illustration.
Ethan to Virginia for engineering.
At the airport before Lily left, Ethan handed her a small box.
She opened it.
Inside:
A lock of brown hair.
From the wig.
She stared.
“You cut this out?”
“With permission from the wig maker. Years ago.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
He looked embarrassed.
“I thought
maybe you’d want it someday.”
Lily held it.
Then shook her head.
“No.”
His face fell slightly.
She smiled.
“You keep it.”
“Why?”
“It’s yours.”
He frowned.
“No. I gave it to you.”
She corrected him.
“You gave me a wig.”
Then she held up the lock.
“This is the part where you learned giving something doesn’t mean you get to decide what it means forever.”
He stared.
“That’s annoyingly deep.”
