32
Halli enjoyed her run home from the office. So much to replay in her head, so much to think about for the future.
She changed into sweatpants and a fresh T-shirt, then spent about half an hour chopping up vegetables to make a soup—potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, a lot of those greens my mom couldn’t figure out why she needed. Halli waited until it was all gently bubbling before she finally called the professor and told him what had happened.
The professor sighed. It was starting to be his main reaction to Halli’s reports. But he took the matter in stride.
“You were probably right to quit,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, but these things are going to happen. What did her mother say?”
“Not happy,” Halli answered. She didn’t bother going into the long version.
“Still no sign of Au
