Years passed. Luke vanished from the dump sometime before I finished high school.
Luke tried waving whenever I passed. Once, he carved me a wooden bird. I deliberately dropped it beside his shoes.
« You don’t have to like me, » he said softly. « But your mother worries when you walk near traffic after school. »
As far as I knew, Luke had no parents, no home, and no job.
I ignored him and kept walking, pretending his concern was another trick designed to steal even more of Mom’s attention.
As far as I knew, Luke had no parents, no home, and no job. Mom never explained why she seemed to feel responsible for him.
Years passed. Luke vanished from the dump sometime before I finished high school, and Mom refused to explain where he had gone.
The moment I graduated, I moved three hours away, accepted the cheapest apartment available, and rarely called home.
Mom and I spoke on birthdays, then holidays, then only when one of us felt guilty enough to try again.
By the time I arrived, machines surrounded Mom, and she could barely speak.
