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Dijon mustard and fresh rye bread from the bakery. He bought
flowers and set them on the table. He added candles. When he
was finished he was breathing hard. He poured himself a tall, icy
glass of vodka and sat at the kitchen table and waited for Erin. He
was happy because he’d cleaned the house because it meant that
Erin would never know what he’d done and they would have the
kind of marriage he’d always wanted. They would trust each
other and be happy and he would love her forever and never
cheat on her again because why on earth would he ever do
something as disgusting as that?
27
Katie got her driver’s license in the second week of July. In the
days leading up to her test, Alex had taken her driving regularly,
and despite some pretest jitters, she’d passed with a nearly perfect
score. The license arrived in the mail within a few days and when
Katie opened the envelope, she felt almost dizzy. There was a
photograph of her next to a name she’d never imagined having,
but according to the state of North Carolina, she was as real as any
other resident of the state.
That night, Alex took her to dinner in Wilmington. Afterward,
they’d walked the downtown streets holding hands and browsing
the shops. Every now and then, she saw Alex regarding her with
amusement.
“What?” she finally demanded.
“I was just thinking that you don’t look like an Erin. You look like
a Katie.”
“I should look like a Katie,” she said. “That’s my name and I’ve
got a driver’s license to prove it.”
“I know you do,” he said. “Now all you need is a car.”