Chloe followed him inside carrying three cages.
Two parakeets shrieked from one.
A white rabbit shook inside another.
The cat flattened itself against the back of an old carrier as though even it understood it had been delivered to the wrong place.
Chloe set all three beside Ernest’s memorial photograph. EditPhotos
No flowers.
No embrace.
Not even “How are you holding up?”
Only animals, food, and instructions.
“Change the water for the parakeets twice a day,” Chloe said, still staring at her phone.
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