Jenelle. “You don’t get to write the ending alone this time.”
“No,” she said. “I don’t.”
Mr. Collins cleared his throat. “The depot has an old rack we could clean up. Nothing fancy, but sturdy.”
“The school has lost-and-found umbrellas,” Eli said. “And people could leave ponchos. Maybe bus cards too.”
“What would you call it?” I asked.
Eli looked at the number painted on Box #47.
“The Route 47 Rain Rack.”
Mr. Collins smiled. “That has a ring to it.”
Eli gently touched Darren’s umbrella. “Can the tag say, ‘Started with Darren’s umbrella’?”
My throat tightened until I could barely breathe.
“Yes,” I said. “But this umbrella comes home with us.”
Eli nodded. “I know. Dad’s stays with us.”
Jenelle looked at me carefully. “May I write a follow-up? With your permission this time?”
“
