I have managed to persuade Carl to come downstairs with me, no dragging him kicking and screaming. I feel almost disappointed, and I try to ignore my secret hankering for drama. We are all present, and have just concluded the collective silence. Sarah is the first to speak:
"Maureen and Jenn and I have all agreed that you should all know that we plan to leave this house in October. We are all in the process of returning to work at the library online and this should eventually transition into onsite work. This has not been for us an easy decision, but our time in this house is almost finished. We have all been collectively traumatized, and the three of us have prayerfully concluded that we will not recover fully until we have returned to our previous routine. It is not our intention to leave the community. We are still going to be in regular contact with everyone here. We have come to care for all of you as though we are all family. We will have three spare bedrooms in our home, and we fully expect overnight visitors from among us here. Should it be appropriate, any three of you here would be welcomed as family, should you decide to stay with us long term."
No one appears ready to comment. This is something we need time to absorb. I am worried about Carl, who appears to be struggling not to cry. My hand instinctively finds his upper back, and I leave it there, feeling the warmth of his body radiate into the skin of the palm of my hand.
"We would be very sad to see you go", says Michael. "I, for one, am not going anywhere."
"Me neither", says Matthew. "Glen."
"I have nowhere else to go", he says. "Sheila?"
"Oh, I'd might as well stay and see how my son behaves. Not that I expect to make much of a difference with him"
"George? Jeff?" says Melissa, who appears unusually pensive.
"We plan to stick around for the short term", says Jeff. "But after Christmas, all bets are off."
"Francios?" she says.
"My situation feels very fluid right now..."
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