Page 48 of Fall

“Um, I won’t be here,” I tell her, “Can I come to you? Closer to the afternoon.”

“Okay.”

“The only thing is, I’m going to need you to promise not to breathe a wordof whatever you see or hear when I see you. Can you promise me that?”

“Of course. Girl, you know I’m not Cassandra. Have I ever shared any secret you ever told me over the years?”

“You’re right. You haven’t. This is a little different though.”

“You have my word. I’m a vault. Plus, the shit going down in my life needs to stay on the QT as well. It’s fucking awful. Like always,I can only trust you with it.”

“Okay. Give me a few hours.”

“But you’re sure it’s today, right?”

“Definitely,” I say, my voice heavy. “My plans might be in flux from one hour to the next, but I’ll be there.”

“Thanks, chica. See you then,” she tells me, ending the call.