When You Were Older (34 page)

I looked at the incoming number. It wasn’t Anat. It was someone who had never called me before. I swallowed my heart and answered.

‘Hello?’

‘Russell?’ A man.

‘Yeah. This is Russell.’

‘Russell. Greg Wasserman. So, listen, Russ … I called to offer you that position. Unless you’ve already accepted something else.’

‘I haven’t. I accept. Happily.’

‘Good. Welcome to Wasserman & Tate. I won’t lie. You got a lot of points for being Hatcher, Swift & Dallaire. Not to say you weren’t a good applicant. But we all talked it over and we felt like, since God knows we can’t do anything for the rest of your people …’

‘I’ll try to make it seem like a good decision.’

‘We’re not worried. Stan Harbaugh speaks highly of you. I’m sure you’ll work out fine. I put a stack of paperwork in the mail to you. Any questions, let me know. Otherwise first business day of the new year. Nine a.m. sharp.’

‘I’ll be there. Thanks.’

And we clicked off the call.

‘Who was that?’ Ben asked.

‘My new boss.’

‘You didn’t tell me you had a new boss.’

‘I didn’t know. Until just now. Until he called.’

‘Is that good?’

‘That’s very good. We’re about to have a lot more money. Maybe we could move into Manhattan. Maybe we could hire a full-time housekeeper to be
your
new buddy. What would you think about that?’

‘That would be fine,’ Ben said. ‘I mean, I’d be happy if we did that.’

It was the first time I’d met anybody at the airport post-9/11.

You didn’t get to meet them at the gate any more. And probably we’d never get that back again. Life just rolls on, adjusting to whatever was subtracted.

Ben and I staked out a spot at the edge of the baggage claim area, right on the front lines, where limo drivers held up their signs, flagging people by their printed names.

I paced. Ben held still.

‘Why are you so nervous?’ he asked. ‘A minute ago you were happy.’

I opened my mouth to explain. And saw her. I saw her moving with the crowd. Scanning with her eyes. Until she locked on to me.

She was dressed more traditionally than I’d ever seen her, in a long skirt and something that looked like several wrapped layers on top. Her hands were too white, and too thick. I couldn’t tell if they were bandaged, or if she was wearing protective gloves. Or if they just looked like that. She was still too far away.

I knew a lot of things at once. Too many things, really. They stretched the inside of my chest until it hurt.

I knew it might be a shock when I saw the extent of her burns. I also knew it would ultimately change
nothing.
However she was now would be however she was, and we would deal with it. I knew she might not get along with Ben at close range. Or they might be instant family. I knew she might not get along with
me
at close range. Or we might get married, have two children and live happily ever after. I knew Nazir might come around and come for a visit, or he might never speak to us again. He might even reject his own grandchildren in his rage.

And I knew that my only way through this mass of simultaneous future outcomes was to hold tight to the idea that it was possible to get to OK from where we were now. Not assured. Just possible.

She walked up to me – us – and stood face to face with me, our noses about six inches apart. We looked into each other’s eyes, unsure half-smiles on both of our faces.

‘There he is,’ she said.

THE END

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of several highly acclaimed novels including the award-winning
Pay It Forward
(which was made into a feature film starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt),
Love in the Present Tense
(a Richard & Judy Book Club bestseller),
Chasing Windmills
,
When I Found You
,
Second Hand Heart
and
Don’t Let Me Go
.

Also by Catherine Ryan Hyde

DON’T LET ME GO

THE HARDEST PART OF LOVE

(previously published as
Electric God
)

SECOND HAND HEART

WHEN I FOUND YOU

CHASING WINDMILLS

PAY IT FORWARD

LOVE IN THE PRESENT TENSE

Other books by Catherine Ryan Hyde

JUMPSTART THE WORLD

DIARY OF A WITNESS

THE DAY I KILLED JAMES

THE YEAR OF MY MIRACULOUS REAPPEARANCE

BECOMING CHLOE

WALTER’S PURPLE HEART

EARTHQUAKE WEATHER

FUNERALS FOR HORSES

TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
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WHEN YOU WERE OLDER
A BLACK SWAN BOOK: 9780552776684
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781407081694

First publication in Great Britain
Black Swan edition published 2012

Copyright © Catherine Ryan Hyde 2012

Catherine Ryan Hyde has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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