Bobby's Arc

Chapter 3 of 8

She sits down on the curb beside him, keeping a foot of space between them. He doesn't look at her yet, but his breathing changes. She waits. The street is quiet except for a truck passing two blocks over. She can still see the empty building from here, the one she called about. He finally speaks, his voice rough. "You with the county?" She shakes her head. He lifts his chin toward the building across the street. "That's why you're here, right? Looking at it?" Bobby nods. He lets out a short breath. "It's not empty. My sister owns it. The little white cottage with the red trim, two blocks that way — she bought both properties last year." He rubs his face with both hands. "She's been trying to get me to help her fix them up, turn them into something useful. I kept saying no. Kept saying I wasn't ready." Bobby feels the permit question collapse in her chest. But something else rises in its place. She asks if his sister still needs help. He looks at her for the first time, really looks. "Yeah," he says. "She does." Bobby stands and offers him her hand. He takes it.