PUBLISHED IN ROOM, FIRST PLACE IN 2010 FICTION CONTEST
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It’s late May when James arrives in Rose-Marie, fresh from Antigonish, where he lives now. He shows up without fanfare. Without flourish. Without so much as a phone call to let me know he’s coming. He is simply, suddenly, standing before me in the grey light of a late Monday morning. He flicks on the overhead lamps, which I prefer to leave off on days like today, and makes his way behind the counter to hug me.