Again Again

know. 

Adelaide and her father, Levi Buchwald, had moved to Alabaster Prep for her junior year of high school. Adelaide lived in a dormitory, and Levi in Alabaster faculty housing. His new home was a small wooden house on the edge of campus. It was furnished with flea-market buys and overloaded with books. He was an English teacher. 

Adelaide s mother, Rebecca, and her little brother, Toby, had spent the year together in a rental house in Baltimore. Toby was very sick. Rebecca was taking care of him. 

Rebecca was a knitter. She used to own a store called the Good Sheep Yarn Shop, where she taught classes. Much of her home was dedicated to wicker baskets overflowing with skeins of yarn. And plants, which she tended semi-obsessively. Rebecca was a person who focused very intently on the people, plants, and yarn in front of her. 

She texted Adelaide back immediately about Mikey: 

Oh blergh. I m sorry. You okay? 

Adelaide lied. 

Yeah. 

What happened? 

The last thing Adelaide wanted to do was tell her mother the story of Mikey Double L.

 

 

Well, I m here if you want to talk. Hug!  

Rebecca often used the fat, spouting whale emoji. Adelaide had no idea what it was meant to symbolize. She wrote back. 

Breakup was probably for the best anyway. 

I was sad. But I slept it off and had eggs for breakfast, and now I m feeling much better. 

You re very mature.  

Adelaide was not at all mature. And the breakup wasn t for the best. But she didn t want her mother to spiral into anxiety. That was something Rebecca was inclined to do, with Adelaide off at boarding school. She wanted to hear that Adelaide ate well, stayed hydrated, got regular exercise, and slept enough. 

When Rebecca spiraled into worry, the result was a series of phone calls filled with urgent requests for reass