Page 186 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

Keisha hears the silence almost immediately.

"...Annette?"

I lower myself onto one of the benches outside the rehabilitation entrance. Staff hurry past carrying coffees and clipboards while an ambulance backs into the emergency bay across the parking lot.

Everything keeps moving. I feel strangely stuck.

"I got my placement."

"And?"

"It's Boise."

Silence. Not the awkward kind. The processing kind.

Finally...

"Boise, Idaho? When?"

"Ten days."

Another pause. Then, softly...

"That's a really good program."

"I know."

"It'll look amazing on your résumé."

"I know."

"It's one of the strongest sports rehabilitation rotations in the country."

"I know."

Each answer comes out a little flatter than the last. Keisha sighs. "You're making it very difficult to be excited for you."

"I was excited."

"Were?"

"This morning. Before I got this envelope."

I stare across the parking lot watching a father help his little girl climb out of the car. She can't be more than five. He adjusts her backpack before taking the hand that’s not in a cast.

"I forgot I had something here."

Keisha doesn't answer right away. She doesn't have to ask what I mean. She already knows.

Finally...

"Have you told Jamie?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"I have to."