Lynn picked me up at the airport at eleven o’clock that night.
She took one look at my face as I walked out of the baggage claim and stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk.
“What happened?” she said. “Claire, you were supposed to be gone three more days. What happened? Are you sick?”
“I’m not sick,” I said. “Greg is.”
I told her everything in the car. She pulled over on the side of the highway halfway through and cried so hard she had to put her hazard lights on. Lynn has always loved Greg like a brother. She’s the one who introduced us to the family at Thanksgiving twenty-three years ago and announced, “This one’s a keeper, everybody. Don’t scare him off.”
“That idiot,” she kept saying, crying into a wad of fast-food napkins from her glove compartment. “That stupid, sweet, stupid idiot.”
“I know.”
“Where do you want to go? Home?”
I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost midnight.
“No,” I said. “Take me to his apartment.”
Greg’s apartment was on the second floor of an old brick building on Delaney Street. There was a dry cleaner downstairs with a flickering neon sign that said “OPEN 7 DAYS.” The staircase was on the outside of the building, metal and rusty. There was one light on upstairs.
Lynn parked at the curb.
“Do you want me to come up with you?”
“No.”
“I’m going to wait right here.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I’m going to wait right here,” she said again, and she turned the engine off and crossed her arms.
I climbed the stairs. Every step clanged under my feet. When I got to the top, I stood in front of his door for a full minute with my fist raised, trying to make myself knock.
Then I did.
Nothing.
I knocked again. Louder.
“Who is it?” His voice. Tired and rough, like I’d woken him up. Or like he’d been crying.
“It’s me.”
Silence. A long, long silence.
Then the lock clicked, and the door opened.
Greg stood there in a gray T-shirt and the plaid pajama pants I’d bought him two Christmases ago. He hadn’t shaved in days. His hair was a mess, and his cowlick was standing straight up. He looked like he’d lost fifteen pounds.
He stared at me like he was seeing a ghost.
“Claire? What are you… You’re supposed to be on the cruise. Lynn said…”
“I got off early,” I said.
“Why? What happened? Are you okay? Is Sophie okay?”
“Sophie’s fine.”
“Then why are you…”
“I met your brother.”
All the color drained out of his face. He grabbed the edge of the door frame with one hand.
And I saw it. His other hand, hanging down by his side. The fingers were moving. Twitching. Curling and uncurling, all by themselves, like they belonged to somebody else.
He saw me looking at it. He shoved it into his pocket.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
“Don’t.” My voice came out stronger than I expected. “Don’t you dare, Greg Whitman. Don’t you dare stand there and lie to my face one more time.”
He opened his mouth. Then he closed it.
“Elliot found me on the ship,” I said. “He showed me a picture of your father. He told me about the DNA test. He told me about the diner. He told me about Carol.” My voice cracked. “He told me about the parking lot at the clinic, Greg.”
He didn’t say anything. His eyes filled up with tears.
“Can I come in?” I asked. “Or are we going to do this out here so the whole dry cleaner can hear?”
He stood there for a long moment.
Then he stepped back and let me inside.
Sophia Rivers is an experienced News Content Editor with a sharp eye for detail and a passion for delivering accurate and engaging news stories. At TheArchivists, she specializes in curating, editing, and presenting news content that informs and resonates with a global audience.
Sophia holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Toronto, where she developed her skills in news reporting, media ethics, and digital journalism. Her expertise lies in identifying key stories, crafting compelling narratives, and ensuring journalistic integrity in every piece she edits.
Known for her precision and dedication to the truth, Sophia thrives in the fast-paced world of news editing. At TheArchivists, she focuses on producing high-quality news content that keeps readers informed while maintaining a balanced and insightful perspective.
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