Kelly Returns to an Empty Apartment
THAT NIGHT, KELLY did not stay at Mohammed’s place but decided to go back to her own. It was a well-furnished apartment that definitely reflected the design preferences of a woman. The broad windows in the living room offered a spectacular view of the city. The colored lights from the billboards across the street reflected brightly off the building, and much of the light shone into the apartment.
While the elevator took her to her floor, Kelly thought about the last fifteen hours and how her life had changed. She thought about walking into her own place, about sleeping in her own bed; however, she felt a lack of enthusiasm. Something was holding her back. It just did not seem like a homecoming.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Kelly stepped out and walked along the hallway until she came to her door. She put the key in the door, turned the knob, and stepped inside. She stepped on a pile of letters, bills, and envelopes that lay on the floor, directly beneath her mail slot. She collected them all and put them on the table that stood against the wall in the foyer. She decided not to switch on the lights. The light coming in from the windows allowed her to see well enough to move around. She locked the door and then, one by one, she walked into all the rooms. She was the only person there.
When she was finished, she went into the kitchen and put her coffee pot on the stove, turned on the burner beneath it, and then went to stand near one of the windows. She stood there for some while, looking at the flickering billboards. She walked back to the kitchen, turned off the stove, poured coffee into a large mug, held it in both hands, and went back to the window. Suddenly, her hand rose to her face, as if wiping a tear from her cheek. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Ali.