The room went silent.
“What?”
“Conduje durante diez o quince minutos. Luego volví. Te habías ido”.
Lo miré.
“So you went home?”
He didn’t answer.
“You didn’t contact Diane? You didn’t call anyone to find me?”
Cheryl covered her mouth.
Then Diane spoke.
“At nine o’clock that night, a gas station employee called me.”
Her voice shook.
“Thomas estaba sentado detrás del mostrador porque tenía miedo de estar solo afuera”.
Ella miró directamente a Ray.
“Every time a truck entered the parking lot, he stood up because he thought you were coming back.”
I lowered my eyes.
I’d forgotten that detail.
Or perhaps I’d tried to.
—Te esperó, Ray —continuó Diane. “Y nunca llamaste”.
Nadie habló.
Diane went on.
“Luego firmaste la custodia, cobraste los pagos que pertenecían a su cuidado y pasaste dieciocho años diciéndole a todos que se escapó”.
