Chapter 5
I shut off the car, pulled the keys from the ignition, reached into the passenger’s seat for my briefcase, and opened the driver’s side door, stepping out into a blast of humid air. Wiping sweat from my forehead and face with the back of my hand, I ambled across the packed parking lot to the entrance portico, and stopped at a bench by the automatic doors. I sat long enough to catch my breath and rearrange my thoughts before heading inside.
Before boarding the elevator, I detoured to the cafeteria where I purchased a small black tea for Dad. It was that familiar hour when Dad and I sat in each other’s company to drink tea and chat about his love of horses, my teaching, and how much he missed Mom. I’d get him to crack a smile and laugh, which he rarely did when I was growing up.
I paid for our lunch, and got on the elevator with an elderly woman who reminded me of Lauren Bacall.