When Mrs. Hershkowitz
is all set in her chair
and she’s kissed us all on the cheek,
and the neighbors give her a glass of water,
with Buddy happily coiled at her feet,
we head downstairs.
By now I can’t stop thinking about
my parents, but every phone line is busy.
When we get outside,
Jordan comes over,
and then,
all of a sudden,
he wraps an arm around me.
Sorry about everything, Etan.
The boys start to head up the street
but just before, Martin looks over
like he might say sorry, or something else,
but he just looks at me,
then Malia.
See you at school sometime I guess?
I mean when you come back.
Yep! she says,
and the thought of school
suddenly seems
like the very place we want to be.