Chapter 14 - Maisie Asked to Unpack Her Own Suitcase
The suitcase stayed closed for almost three weeks.
Graham did not know what to do with it.
Every time Maisie saw it, she looked away.
Finally one Saturday morning she dragged it into the middle of her bedroom.
“I want my stuff back.”
Graham sat on the floor beside her.
“Okay.”
She opened it herself.
Yellow raincoat.
Pajamas.
Stuffed animals.
Shoes.
Hairbrush.
Each object had been chosen by Sloane for a life Maisie never agreed to leave for.
Maisie put everything back where it belonged.
Shoes in the closet.
Raincoat on the hook.
Pajamas in the drawer.
Stuffed animals across the bed.
Then she found the Harbor Pines folder.
Her expression changed.
Graham reached for it.
“You don’t need to look at that.”
Maisie handed it to him.
“Throw it away.”
He did not actually throw away the legal evidence.
He removed the child-facing copy and later stored the original with the attorneys.
But for Maisie, he carried the folder out of the room.
She zipped the empty suitcase closed.
Then asked:
“Can we use this for our beach trip?”
Graham smiled.
“If you want.”
She nodded.
“I want to pick what goes in it next time.”
That sentence nearly undid him.
Next time, the suitcase would mean travel.
Not removal.
Choice.
May you like
Not exile.
---
