have spent your whole life feeling invisible, being noticed can feel dangerously close to being loved.
Part 2
One afternoon, I was walking home with grocery bags when Mrs. Rhode called to me from behind her fence.
“You live nearby, James?”
I stopped.
“A couple houses down.”
She looked me over carefully.
“You want to make some decent money, son?”
I hesitated.
“Doing what?”
She opened her front door and waved me in.
“Come help me. We’ll agree on a price. I’ll explain over tea.”
Inside, she poured tea that
