Every hour or so, the doctor came and made him wait outside. The passage had a distinctive smell of old office, cooking, and people. Sometimes they walked past him, going about their business. Some greeted him and others didn’t. He felt better if they ignored him. After a while he sensed someone watching him and glanced down the passage, to feel a pair of eyes vanish as his head turned. When this game had continued for a few minutes, the blond boy, Oliver, stepped out and stood where he could be seen. “Hi,” Kobi said. “Hello,” Oliver replied. The child walked toward him, swaying his arms. He was wearing a Pod Fighter T-shirt borrowed from an older child. It came down to his knees. Kobi grinned through his hair. “What are you doing?” Oliver asked, kicking the wall. “Waiting for the doctor to leave,” Kobi said. “So I can go back in and sit with the boy.” “Can I see him?” “You could ask,” Kobi replied. “OK,” Oliver said. He leaned against the wall next to Kobi, with his hands behind his back.
