Page 65 of The Secret to Belonging

is still incredibly hard

no gestures or facial clues for context

but you’re so excited to hear his voice

you accept, of course

of course you do

your body wouldn’t have it any other way

should you have asked permission?

what are the house rules?

you mention it to Elinor

er det ok?

she laughs

of course it’s okay

you’re a grown woman

a grown woman

you’re a grown woman

you grin

and run upstairs

you can’t wait to write to Maura

Espen rents two rooms and a kitchenette

from his uncle

he’s twenty-one

finished mandatory service last year

now he goes to the technical school

studies computer programming

you aren’t really sure what that is

when he tries to explain

you don’t have the vocabulary

he says it doesn’t matter

hopes it will be a good career

his kitchen is tiny