<b>Chapter </b>190


    As soon as I sent the message, Oscar’s call came through almost instantly.


    “What’s going on? Did that guyy down some unspoken rule on you?” Oscar asked, getting straight to the point.


    I couldn’t help butugh. “I’d love for him to, but how can he if I haven’t even met him yet?”


    “He hasn’t even shown up yet? So, you’re just curious and want me to look him up?” Oscar sounded surprised. “Zoe, you don’t think I’ve got better things to do?”


    I thought, ‘He had just posted about joining a pool challenge, <i>so </i>I knew he’d be busy.‘


    I suddenly realized how impulsive I had been. “Oscar, if you’re too busy, it’s fine. I’m just curious. It’s not something I absolutely need to know.”


    “You’re trying to make me feel bad now, aren’t you?” Oscar teased, pretending to be annoyed.


    I chuckled. “No, really, it’s just curiosity. If you have time, great. If not, forget it.”


    “I’ve got time. I’m never too busy for you. Let me look it up,” Oscar finally agreed.


    But after agreeing, he didn’t hang up right away. I could tell he had something else to say rted to Alvin’s public


    announcement.


    I waited quietly<i>, </i>and after a long pause, Oscar finally spoke. “Forget it. It’s nothing. But you know you can always reach out if you need me.”


    1 thought, ‘I sighed in relief. No matter what he said, it would have made me feel awkward. His silence was honestly


    the best oue.”


    “Alright,” I replied. Then, thinking about Oscar’s uing match, I casually added, “When’s your match? Get me a ticket, and I’lle cheer you on.”


    “Sure!” Oscar replied, sounding enthusiastic.


    After hanging up, I drove home. The night before, I hadn’t slept well due to the constant dreams, and I hoped to catch up on some rest. But as soon as I reached my neighborhood, I noticed a crowd at the entrance.


    I parked my car and walked over, only to find a notice on the door.


    I thought, ‘Demolition! Seeing the word made my heart race. I had known it wasing, but seeing it in writing made it feel all too real. For others, demolition was a surprise, an opportunity to get rich overnight. But for me, it was destruction, tearing apart the happiest and warmest part of my life.”


    The notice read, “Move out in two months. If you leave early, there’s a 3 thousand dors reward.”


    “I’ve wanted to leave here for a long time, and now the day has finallye.”


    13:04 Thu, 21 Aug


    32%3


    “I just signed a one–year lease with the tenant, and now I have to ask him to move out… I’ll probably lose money.”


    The crowd around me was murmuring in various tones, each person with their own opinion.


    I quietly moved away from the group, deciding not to get back in the car but to walk home instead.


    The neighborhood was old, but precisely that age gave it its charm. The old oak trees lining both sides of the street were thick and green. As a child, I remembered how Margery and the neighbors would gather to pick the flowers and make dandelion pancakes every year when the blossoms bloomed. Margery often took <i>me </i>to y beneath the summer trees, enjoying the cool shade.


    Over there was the stone garden, where I spent countless hours with my childhood friends, climbing and ying,


    our hands smoothing the rocks until they were as slick as ss.


    As I walked, I thought, ‘One day soon, this ce would be leveled to the ground, and everything would be gone. The thought weighed heavily on me. As long as this neighborhood exists and my parents‘ home is here, I feel like they’re still with me. But when it’s gone, where will I put my longing? Where will I go to find their memories?‘


    “Zoe,” a voice called from the hallway.


    It was Lena from across the hall.