Chapter 36

“Sometimes we both sleep over.” AJ started gathering his own things off a console table in the lobby just outside the house. He always came and left with a ton of stuff—a black bag packed to capacity, often a box, too, with program or poster supplies, plus extra clothes, as if perhaps he started the day wearing more and removed an article each hour as the day progressed. “There are two tiny rooms upstairs.” He looked around, presumably to see if he was forgetting anything. “Mom has a place not far from here. I just bought the adjacent property.” We started toward the next exit, the five of us, three with two legs and two with four. “What does it say about me that I’ve chosen to live right betwixt my family home and the theater?”

“Betwixt.” The word tickled Major. Once again, he was smiling.