Adrian
AdrianSleep feels impossible tonight, so I pace the hotel room some more before I think to call Nadia and let her know I’m on my way.
“Hi Adrian,” she says in English. Good–she’s practicing the language. That will be a huge step in her feeling more comfortable in Chicago.
“Hey. How are you?”
“Everything’s fine here. How about you?”
“I’m heading back tomorrow.”
“So…what happened? Did you…finish it?”
I sit on the bed and rest my elbows on my knees. “Ah…no. No, I didn’t, Nadia.” I clear my throat. “I’m going to let it go.” Guilt and shame crowd me from both directions.
“What happened, Adrian?”
“No, nothing happened. Everything’s okay.”
“Adrian, can you do something for me?”
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Yeah, anything.”
“Stop lying. I know something happened, and I
