Now she stood in front of a house allegedly belonging to her closest relative in the world. What if this situation didn’t work out? Her father had taught her, “Have a plan B.” She adhered to his advice fiercely in the jungle, but there was no plan B here. She wasn’t even sure of plan A.

She said a quick prayer, picked up her suitcase, climbed the steps to the front door, and knocked. No one answered. She knocked again, and the door swung open. In the doorway stood a man, perhaps forty to forty-five, slightly taller than she, with a welcoming smile.

“You must be Abby. I’m Sabin Wright, Lauren’s partner. Lauren will be here shortly. Come in. Let me get that for you.”

He leaned forward and picked up the suitcase. They walked into a large living room with two sofas.

“How was your flight? You must be exhausted. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Some tea would be nice.”

Sabin disappeared into the kitchen.

Abby looked around the room. It was painted olive, with two woven tapestries adorning one wall. Between large windows on the opposite wall hung a painting of an old man walking his bicycle up a sharply inclined cobblestone street. Atop a wood credenza behind a sofa stood a picture of a dog. Next to it were a small antique globe and a bronze statue of a bull.

Through her conversations with Kate, she felt like she understood better what purpose décor served, but the room still felt desolate to Abby. She was saddened not to see any family pictures, having hoped for one connecting this home to her grandparents. How could you not have photos of the ones you loved? She’d have given anything for a picture of Miraba.

Abby felt a moment of panic. She had no pictures of Miraba. Would a time come when she couldn’t recall her beautiful daughter’s face?

Sabin returned. “The tea will be ready in a minute. Please, have a seat.” He motioned to one of the sofas and sat on the other. “So tell me about your flight. It was your first?”

Abby attempted a smile, thinking of how to couch her words. “Well…it was loud. And yet people fell asleep the moment they got on the plane and didn’t wake up until the plane landed. I wasn’t able to sleep as well, so I’m tired.”

He laughed. “They weren’t asleep most of the time. They were in VR.”

“In what?”

“Virtual reality.”

The teapot whistled.

“I’ll explain later. VR is what I do. Professionally, I mean.”

Sabin got up and crossed to the kitchen. Abby heard a sound at the front door and stood. An immaculately dressed woman in a blue suit and high heels entered the living room.

“You must be Abigail.” She stepped down and stuck out her hand formally.

“Yes, Abby.”