Coming Home "Did you get another yearbook? What awards did you - "
"How did the Potions exam go?"
"Did you have fun at the Fair?"
"Was there really a – Did you – "
"Did you take notes for me - ?"
Julian laughed as most of the family began talking over each other, all trying to get her to answer whatever they thought was or should have been the most interesting part of the very last bit of her school year, everyone but her mom, who was driving, turning around to look across or over seats of the minivan to look at her while asking their questions. "One thing at a time," she begged. "Draw straws or something!"
"Fine. All my exams were fine. I'll show everyone the report when we get home," she promised. "I should have kept it out, but it's somewhere in my trunk.” She hadn’t wanted people to think she was crazy, or worse, to drop it and get it trampled on and ruined, while she was on the wagon back to Montana, where Dad had picked her up for the Portkey back to Canada, where Mom was waiting at the transport center with the car, Joe and John in tow from their afternoon activities and Paul, apparently, just along for the ride. “And the Fair was great, I didn’t take notes while I was there, John, because I didn’t want people to think I was weird – “ she ignored his noise of protest, either at her susceptibility to public opinion or her opinion that taking notes in public was weird, she wasn’t sure – “but I wrote everything I could remember down when I got back, you’ll have fun going through it….”
She waded her way through questions all the way to the house, where finally, she was able to really stand on her feet for the first time in far too long and wave to one of the neighbors, who was watering her flowers and waved back cheerfully, prompting Julian to wave more enthusiastically and wonder what, exactly, they told the neighbors about her and Stephen. As she turned to look at the house, though, she was surprised to feel something almost like disappointment. She hadn’t expected it to look so…small. Had it been like this after first year? At midterm?
Then, though, Dad was making a big show of having trouble with her trunk, earning derisive commentary from the boys, and Mom was unlocking the front door, and Julian went inside with her family, happy to be with them again, already looking forward to a cup of tea and maybe a trip to the park once she had had some lunch and probably caught up with Stephen.