You don’t have to carry somebody’s problem for them. Sometimes you just carry part of it with them.
Also, Martin says I still owe him forty-three Saturdays, so technically the guitar isn’t free.
Julian
I laughed through tears.
Then I turned the paper over.
On the back he had added:
P.S. Maya wants a bass. Do not help her buy one. Her dad said absolutely not.
From downstairs came a crash.
Then Julian shouted, “Everything’s fine!”
I closed my eyes.
“That’s never reassuring!”
“It was just a bowl!”
“Was there food in it?”
A pause.
“No?”
I walked downstairs.
Julian was gathering popcorn from the floor.
His guitar leaned safely against the sofa.
I noticed that first.
Apparently some instincts remained.
His phone buzzed.
He read the message and groaned.
“What?”
“Maya.”
“What does she want?”
“She found a used bass online.”
“Her father’s problem.”
