I watched her drive away, her clean black sedan splashing through the puddles on Maple Street. I stood there on my porch, looking down at the bright yellow grid. The sun in the corner was glowing in the afternoon light.

My knees still hurt. The house was still quiet. But as I walked back inside, I didn’t feel lonely anymore. I went to the kitchen and put Sarah’s phone number on the refrigerator, right next to Arthur’s old whistle.

Tomorrow, I think I will walk down to the drugstore. I need to buy a new box of chalk. There are new kids on this block now, and they need to know that the sidewalk is a safe place to play.