Barbara proceeded to talk a lot to him.

Leaning on the chair, Mason listened to his grandmother quietly as a lump began to form in his throat. After a brief pause, he responded softly, “I’ll do that!”

Hanging up the phone, he raised his head and looked at Zoe’s apartment.

Evening rolled on and the apartment was lit by a small lamp with an orange glow.

All of a sudden, he wondered what she was doing in there. Was she cleaning up the place and making snacks, like she normally did?

It was not