“See you around,” I said. And I waved goodbye, like in a movie. Like I was standing on a ship instead of my porch. Heading off on a long voyage.

Tess turned and walked off in the direction of her house. She didn’t glance back, just kept walking.

And I watched her go. I waited until I couldn’t see her anymore.

This is what it looks like when Leah says goodbye, I thought.

As it turned out, dinner that night was grilled chicken after all, but it came from Whole Foods in a cardboard box instead of the grill, and it was eaten inside, at the kitchen table. I’d spent all afternoon watching Lord of the Rings clips on my phone in my room and thinking about napping. So I’d barely registered when my parents came home, but suddenly there was a knock on my door and my mother’s voice: “Leah! Dinner!”

I wasn’t hungry, but dinnertime was a requirement, and if I didn’t show up in the kitchen, I knew it would be a big deal. So I found myself sitting at the old yellow table, poking at reheated grilled chicken and some sort of herby couscous or quinoa. I could never remember which was which. We sat in silence—the three of us—chewing loudly in the white-tiled room.

After a little while, Dad cleared his throat, and I looked up at him. Throat clearing meant he wanted to say something but needed to be prompted. Sure enough, Mom fluttered, “What is it, babe?”

“I was just thinking,” said Dad, staring at a piece of chicken on his fork, “if Leah isn’t going to camp this year like usual, she should take a class. Shouldn’t she? Or do something else? Something productive? Not just sit around?”

“Oh,” said Mom. Her brow creased. “Oh . . . you’re right, Paul. I don’t know how I didn’t think about it. I just didn’t.” She set down her water glass heavily.

“We’ve had a lot going on this year,” said Dad.

“Yes, well,” said Mom, waving away the excuse with a flick of her hand. “In any case, it slipped my mind. I wonder what’s still open. What kind of thing were you thinking about? I can make some calls tomorrow, from work.”

Dad shrugged. “I don’t know. Don’t they do something over at the zoo, with animals? I see lots of kids there whenever I drive past. It looks like a summer camp sort of thing. Or maybe she could learn coding?”

“Hmmm.” Now Mom was chewing her thumbnail.

I just sat, waiting. Watching them. In silence.