“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Ryan texted me earlier asking about some insurance paperwork. I called him when I woke up and saw the message, but he didn’t answer. I called several times. I thought something had happened, so I drove over.”
She took my hand.
“Something did happen.”
Linda stood.
“Stay here.”
She returned to her SUV and drove out of the parking lot.
Fifteen minutes later, she came back carrying a long package wrapped in brown paper.
“Come with me,” she said quietly. “You need to see this.”
For illustrative purposes only
The Package
Linda helped me out of the car.
We climbed the stairs together, slowly.
When we reached the apartment, she knocked hard enough to wake everyone on the floor.
A minute later, Ryan opened the door.
His expression changed from irritation to surprise.
“Mom?”
Then he smiled.
“What are you doing here?”
Linda handed him the package.
