Book 15: Fancy Meeting You Here

Marianna

“I think the couch looks fine right there,” Mom says, kicking an empty moving box into a growing pile of dinged up cardboard. “But an armchair would be nice, don’t you think?”

“One of those big, fluffy monstrosities?” I laugh, arranging framed photos on the mantle, my fingers gliding over an image of me, Skye, and my mom a few months after my daughter was born.

“I’d love something cozy to sit in while you’re at work and I’m watching Skye do her homework. I’ll start the hunt for one. I was just talking to our neighbor about a flea market held during the upcoming mating festival. I bet I’ll find something there.” She giggles, but her voice fades when she turns back into the kitchen to continue unpacking.

Skye is asleep upstairs, long tucked in for the night. Moonlight beams through the bare windows. I haven’t put up the curtains yet. It’s a beautiful, warm night with a soft, only slightly chilly breeze coming off the mountains. The moo