Paul walked back out the door to continue unpacking the car, leaving Ashley and me alone for the first time in months.

I’m glad you’ve been liking your classes, I said.

A bit less now.

Oh?

She shrugged.

Your art history professor sounds fun.

Yeah, he’s okay, she said, nodding, before taking a swig of juice. So, do you still blame yourself?

I was completely caught off guard by her question. What?

About Kyle.

I—Yes. Obviously. Of course I do.

She looked at me for a moment, inscrutably. Well I don’t, she said.

Thank you.

But everyone else does.

I swallowed, and nodded.

And so, by extension, everyone blames me, she said. I tried to formulate some words of comfort or consolation, but everything that came to mind felt so profoundly insufficient and trite as to be almost comical. She raised her eyebrows and took another sip of juice, in silent rebuke. Paul returned with a box, thumped it down, and left to retrieve more.

I sometimes wonder what he would be studying now, she said.

I admitted that sometimes I thought the same thing.

English, probably.

I nodded. Probably.

You ever try to talk to him? she asked.

What?

Do you guys ever talk?

No. What do you mean? How would we—?

Well I don’t know, you’ve believed in weirder shit in the past.

No, I said. We don’t.

Hmm, she said, and took another sip. Dad told me you don’t believe the city’s report.

I sighed. She was angling for a fight. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. She left for university when I was still in hospital. A few emails and a few phone calls weren’t going to sweep away the unexploded land mines. I knew she wanted me to capitulate, but I wasn’t going to. Ash, what I heard was not a pipeline, I said.

She slammed her glass down on the coffee table—The whole fucking world accepts it was but you. Even your old posse. They’ve pretty much all given interviews, haven’t they? They’ve all disowned Howard.

Not everyone.

Even Jo.

What else could she do?

What are you even—? Ashley threw her hands up, and landed them on her head. She then held her head as if it were about to explode with frustration. Even now, she said. I bet you secretly think you still hear it.

I don’t.

So why can’t you just admit it? They increased the pressure on the pipeline, it caused vibrations, the vibrations caused The Hum. They decreased the pressure, The Hum went away. I mean what more do you want, the hand of God to write it in the sky for you?

A pipeline two miles away, I said.

Yes. And they fixed it, she said, eyes widening. They objectively did, Mom, it’s not up for fucking debate.

Okay.