just visiting

I came home to a note which read something like this:

"Came by, you weren't here. Picked up some stuff. -S"

Which she said she was going to do. I told her I probably wouldn't be home, which was also true. Everything was exactly the way we'd said it would be. But the note bothered me, even if I was expecting it. I'd hoped that--

I picked up the phone. I hesitated. She didn't want to hear from me. She just needed to pick up some things. She did. It wouldn't help anything.

I called. She answered on the first ring. "Hey, sorry I missed you."

"What did you take?"

"What?"

"What did you take?"

There was a moment of hesitation--or maybe it was just thought. Then: "Mostly just stuff I left in the basement. You won't miss anything, I promise. Some photo albums, some clothes. Things like that."

"Oh."

"How are you?"

"Not too bad. Busy."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Anyway, just thought I'd call and see if, you know."

Silence. Then, "Yeah. It was good talking to you, Rob."

She hung up by the time I said "you, too." I went downstairs to reshuffle some boxes, now that hers were gone. I didn't ask if any of the photos she'd taken away were of me.