16 There was a knock on the front door a little after eight the next morning. Colin stood on the other side of the door wearing his hazmat suit. “Hi. I’m surprised you’re here,” I said. “I’m here to help with the attic. I said I would help.” He acted sheepish. I folded my arms. “If you don’t want to, it’s okay. It’s close to being done now. I can do the rest by myself.” “Listen, Andi,” Colin said. “I’m sorry about how I acted yesterday. I know what Bergita would have thought if she’d seen it.” “I have a few guesses, too.” I dropped my arms to my sides. He swallowed. “I’m not included in a lot of stuff. You know, at school. The kids just think I’m some weird nerd who hangs out with his grandmother and her friends.” He reddened. “So when you didn’t ask me to follow Dr. Girard, I thought that maybe you … had come to the same conclusion.” I thought about what it must be like to be an only child whose parents are gone all the time. Even when they were still alive, my parents weren’t around that often.
