He was by no means a snob, but the size of the house reminded him of his earlier thought that she was making sacrifices to keep her mother happy. The entire house would fit into the living room of his apartment. As they walked through the front door and she flipped on a light in the living room, the aura of sacrifice continued. The room was furnished with a cheap futon, two end tables and a bookcase that looked as if it had been thrown out on somebody’s lawn for trash pickup. A small television sat on the top shelf, and he would bet his next month’s salary that she didn’t even have basic cable. “It isn’t much, but it’s home,” she said, as if seeing the room through his eyes. “It’s just fine,” he assured her. “If you could just show me to my bedroom I’ll stow my things away and then we’ll talk and see what our next move should be.” “Follow me,” she said. She led him down a hallway that was little more than a few steps and stopped at the first doorway.
