John CHAPTER 12

John

CHAPTER 12

Iwalked Doobie in the courtyard every time I came over to Frank’s, looking for the woman in the jade bracelet. Hell, I came over even when I didn’t need to. When a month had passed without a sighting, I finally gave up. I had to accept that I’d lost my shot. But I wouldn’t lose it the next time with the next person. I was officially out of my caveman era, and I was accepting responsibility for my own unhappiness.

I decorated my apartment. My place actually looked nice now. I refurbished some furniture I found; I started a potted garden out on my patio and put the succulent from H out there. Painted. I even got some artwork. I maintained the haircut. Kept the beard—I liked it—but I trimmed it daily.

The job got a little easier too. I was almost through the backlog of repairs. People were starting to know me in the building; I got friendly head nods now. I got on a first-name basis with some of the elderly residents. They needed someone to check up on them, and I was glad to do it. They liked the visits from Doobie. I felt like I had a community. A purpose.

I kept that last note from H on my fridge. A reminder to control the things that are in my control.

I still thought about the woman in the jade bracelet from time to time. How she appeared that day in the courtyard like magic, then vanished without a trace.

It was weird to say, but I felt like I might think about her for the rest of my life. Like she would be my one “What If.”

I guess in the grand scheme of things, a single “What If” isn’t too bad.

But still.