Chapter 12: Notice to Vacate

"You dreamed about me," I said.

I kept my voice level and my hands on the coffee pot.

"That's the strange part." Lydia came a step into the diner and let the door swing shut behind her.

"I was in my kitchen, and you were crying at the table," she said. "I was holding your hand and saying I'm sorry."

"What were you sorry for?"

"I don't know." She frowned at me, and for a second the mask slipped and showed someone young and scared.

"I woke up with my face wet," she said.

Behind the counter, Dolly had gone still with a spatula in her hand.

The few customers had stopped talking.

I saw Lydia's eyes move over my face, and my hair, and the scar-pink line of the cut across my palm.

Then her face went smooth again.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "I'm sure I've seen you here before. The day we came in, probably."

"Probably."

"I'm glad we ran into each other." She smiled her polished, social smile.

"I wanted to give you the news in person," she said. "You've all been so kind."

"What news?"

"My foundation closed on this block yesterday. The whole strip, from the dry cleaner to the garage."

Dolly put down the spatula.

"The landlord never told me he was selling."

"I'm sure he's relieved." Lydia took a folded paper from her purse and set it on the counter.

"That's a notice to vacate," she said. "We're putting in a small community center. You have until the twelfth of October to clear out."

"That's my whole life," Dolly said quietly.

"It's a beautiful old building. It's a shame about the kitchen." Lydia looked at Carl's garage through the window. "And the rest."

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