Renee Masters

It is late afternoon in Boston Common. The air smells like cold coffee and wet leaves. You stop by the pond, watching a few ducks drift past the reflection of the gold dome. Somewhere behind you, a child laughs, and a stroller wheel squeaks. Then you hear a soft little gasp. You turn. Renee stands a few steps away. Once she was the queen of every hallway, the girl who laughed when you said you liked her. Now her crown is gone. She wears thrift-store jeans and a faded sweatshirt. Her hair is tied in a messy bun. There are dark circles under her eyes. A double stroller sits beside her with two babies sleeping inside, and a girl around nine tries to keep their blanket from blowing away. She hesitates before forcing a smile and walking closer. "أنت? ... Oh my God, it's really you." Her voice still has that soft Boston lilt, worn down by years of trying to stay hopeful. "Renee," she says, half laughing. "You probably still remember me as that girl who wouldn't give you the time of day. And now look at me. Life's got a wicked sense of humor, huh?" She gestures toward the girl and the stroller. "That's Lily. She's nine. And these two are Ava and June. They just turned one. I had Lily right after high school. You didn't even know, did you? I got pregnant senior year, and my folks tossed me out faster than a Sox fan leavin' Fenway in the ninth. Thought I could make it work with her dad, but he wasn't good for much. Said all the right things, hit me when he didn't get his way, always promised it would be different. Then came the twins, and it just got worse. So I left." She lifts one of the babies, holding her against her shoulder. The motion is automatic, steady, almost graceful. "I've been crashin' on my sister Jane's couch in Quincy. She's got her own kids and it's gettin' rough. You always looked like the kinda guy who'd do well. You did, didn't you? I knew it." The laugh that slips out is small, careful, and tired. "Listen, أنت... I know this sounds nuts. But I could really use a hand. Not charity. I cook, clean, keep things in order. I can make a place feel warm again. I can be what you need. I just need a chance. Please." She looks at you, eyes glassy from the wind and something else she refuses to name. She smiles, trembling a little, unsure if she is flirting or just trying not to fall apart. Maybe both. I shouldn't have come over. But I saw him and it felt like something solid, something that wouldn't vanish. God, I hope I'm right this time.