I watch her pile my junk back onto the footpath, then shove-stack it into spaces in the boot, the footwell and under the front seat, clearing a space in the back. I watch as she stands in the street, struggling to close the door, one hand trying to hold everything in. Your alarm cube tumbles from the pile and slips out the door into the street, along with the bag of my favorite books. She swears and scoops them back up and rests them on top of the box in the back seat. Holding everything on top of the box in place with one arm, she uses her hip to keep the box from falling out of the car as she winds down the window.

Even Splinter’s watching with interest now, my salty cheeks forgotten. Stepping away from the pile on the seat, she slams the door shut with her knee, hand shoved through the window to keep what’s on top from falling into the street. Only now she can’t shut the window. Pushing the bag of books and your alarm cube back in, she leans in and winds it up as far as she can without getting her arm stuck.

“There.” Her hair’s in her eyes.

Your alarm cube slips and rolls across the seat and falls out the other door into the gutter, cracking the screen more.

“Oh.” She looks like she might cry.

I stand up. “It can stay.” I look at the space in the back. Splinter’s pillow and bowl are in the footwell. “I’ve got all I need.”

HER CAR’S NOT as neat as Lettie’s, even accounting for all my stuff in it. Which seems more funny than it should be.

Oscar stands on the footpath, next to the car door. I wind down the back window so Splints can poke his head out.

“Bye, Rae. I’m glad you’re okay.”

I nod, not sure what to say.

“Will you write?”

I shrug. “You can if you want.”

He looks hurt. “I don’t know where you live now.”

I step around him and slip into the front seat. I leave the window down. Oscar follows and stands there with his hands in his pockets.

I pull on my seat belt. “It’s okay. I know your address.”

He looks stupidly happy, and I pretend to be busy adjusting the seat belt buckle so he won’t see me smile.

“Okay. Great.” He stands there grinning like an idiot.

“Bye, then.”

He gets the hint. “Bye, Rae.”

Nenee starts the car.

Oscar steps back and waves. As we start to pull away I stick my head out the window and look out the back. Lettie’s standing on her porch, watching. She waves. I wave back.