Page 11 of Old Money

“Oh, my goodness,” she says. “He really is such a good man.”

I smile.

“He is,” I say.

“Are you okay, honey? Are you sure you don’t want to come home for the semester? Do you want to stay on the phone with me until you fall asleep?”

“No, Ma,” I say. “I need to stay here and work. And no, it’s okay. I know you’ve gotta be beat. I am too. I’m okay. Really. Let me know when you get to the diner in the morning, please. I love you.”

“I love you, baby. I can’t wait to see you again.”

“You too, Mama,” I whisper as I hang up.

I change into the pajamas that Julian bought me and curl up in the bed that he paid for. The sheets are cold and unfamiliar on my skin. And then the tears come again. I clutch the pillow as they fall.

Falling for my mother and the fear she felt.

Falling for the thirty-three empty pillows tonight and every night.

Falling for the students like me who couldn’t escape like I did, who were trapped for hours, wondering if they’d survive.

Falling for the professors and custodians, and cooks, and counselors who wondered if they’d see their families again.

And falling for me. Because I wasn’t ready to die.

I jump when my phone vibrates next to me, and I freeze when I see Julian’s name light up.

I sniff a few times, trying to get myself to sound more together before I answer.

“Hello?” I say just above a whisper.

“Check the desk,” he says.

“Huh?”

“The desk in your room,” he says. “I had a delivery come while we were out.”

I sniff and scoot off the bed, walking toward the desk where a box sits. I open it to find a brand-new tablet.

“What is this?”

“Turn it on,” he says. I do.

“You can set it up however you want to,” he says, “but I did take the liberty of downloading a few things to it.”

“What…what is this?”

“Check the downloads folder,” he says. I tap it and up pops every episode of every season ofCheers.I smile to myself.

“Julian,” I say, climbing back onto the bed.

“I’m starting season two, episode four right now. Put it on. We can watch it together until you fall asleep.”

I don’t know what’s going on in the show at all, but I know two things: One, Ted Danson was a total babe. And two, I’m starting to think my mother was right. Maybe Julian is my guardian angel.

JULIAN

I’ve been in Chicago, D.C., Dallas, and Charlotte in the span of two weeks for work, but every single night, I’ve been in bed, on the phone with her. And I’m not even mad that she skipped a few episodes without me. I was supposed to stay in Charlotte another night, but I’m flying back to New York now. Tomorrow will be her first day back on campus. They’re supposed to let the students go to the vigil then to their dorms to collect their things. Classes have been canceled until the start of the spring semester in January, but students have until Thanksgiving break to stay on campus.

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