Time snuck up on me the way I remember it doing when I had a life. Since my mom's death, time had been a giant empty sack I'd been lugging around, tripping over. Now it was filled with walks with Barbara, coffee dates with Marnie, FaceTime calls with Gwen. It was filled with home projects, babysitting Morgan, texting my stepdad and stepsisters punny memes. It was filled with cooking.

Like a shadow, popping into my kitchen to say hi, I was startled to realize my dad would be released from prison the next day. I didn't forget, obviously. That's not a thing you forget. But I was surprised anyway. An incredibly nervous surprised. It was Little Cut stuck who brought the immediacy of it to my attention. He stuck his head into my cube. "Day off tomorrow, right? It's move-in day?" We hadn't talked much lately. He'd tried, but let's be honest, I had enough on my plate without working through any inappropriate feelings I might have for him. He was my boss. He had a girlfriend now (despite what Marnie told me about them just being friends. Little Cut was no idiot, he was just telling her that because she hated that girl. I plugged my ears and sang, "lalala! I don't want to hear about it!")

"Yup. Abby and I are going to get him first thing in the morning."

Little Cut nodded, seriously. "Good luck."

"Thanks."

"Be careful." What?!

"What?!"

He looked left and right like he was looking for an escape route. "I don't know. I don't know why I said that." He started walking away, then backtracked into my cube. "I meant it though." And he was gone. Between him and Shadow One, I was not feeling particularly confident about this. I recalled my conversation with my dad's social worker. He'd come to see my apartment and meet me and make sure I was okay, I guess. "Remember, it's okay if this doesn't work out. It probably will. But if it doesn't that's not on you." His words were the safety net I needed someone to lay out for me. I felt like hugging him on his way out the door.