She went to the kitchen and made tea, then sat at the table. The thought of the winter ahead oppressed her. She considered taking the coins and going south with Gerard. Closing her eyes, she thought of palm trees and warm sand, dulcet breezes and salty air. The coins would eventually be spent, and then they would be stranded. There was more unemployment farther south, and she had few skills to sell. Gerard was already dressed when he came into the kitchen. He began to make Cream of Wheat. “You usually get our mail today, don't you?” he said as he stirred the hot cereal. "Yeah. I always go later, though, when it's not as crowded. Maybe you can get it later this week. There probably isn't anything anyway, except for bills." Gerard served the cereal and sat down. “Maybe Raf's mail is still there. Or maybe he left a forwarding address." Sarah looked up. “I was hoping we were going to forget about Raf." "Do you want to?" "I guess not,” she said, and thought, Yes, I want to forget him.
