Eight

When Katie talks to her mom she asks, “Do we have a divorce yet?” and the answer this morning is “I don’t know.”

“Just heard from your mom,” says her uncle. “It’s final.”

Katie’s sister walks into the room.

“Hey! We’re divorced!” Katie yells, smiling widely at her little sister.

“Good. I don’t love you like I did yesterday,” she replies, quoting song lyrics.

Katie’s grin can’t be suppressed.

Pondering what to say first, Katie is surprised to see a message notification pop up. She clicks it and it’s from Him. No mention of today’s event, it’s about a missing library book. Well, three. So Katie bites her tongue and holds back her vitriol until she resolves the book crisis. Librarians are mean and she wants Him to handle it. Consider it an early birthday present, she says, willing to exchange another half-hearted attempt at a gift with something which will actually contribute to humanity. Hopefully they buy three new books about Pakistan, she thinks, bitter that the lost books weren’t even published in her lifetime.