Chapter 17

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Finally, autumn began to behave like autumn. The days were growing shorter and darker, trees were shedding their leaves, and the nights were freezing. Benjamin, never a fan of the intense heat of late summer and early autumn, began to feel more like his old self. Having slowly come to terms with Clarke’s death, he got out of bed one morning, showered and dressed, then went downstairs to make himself some breakfast. Afterwards, he strolled down to the mailbox, collected a bundle of weathered envelopes, and returned to the house. In his study, he switched on his laptop and while he waited for it to warm up, he went through the mail, placing bills in one pile and all other correspondence in the other. After dealing with the bills, he took care of his unread emails. His mother, as always, had not neglected to send him a message of love and support.

It was lunchtime before he was finished.