Chapter 62 - The Light We Lost

Sometimes it seems like words, phrases, or people’s names get stuck in my brain, and then I hear them everywhere. I don’t know if they actually are everywhere, or if I’m just on high alert for them so I notice them more.

After you called, Kabul was one of those words. Afghanistan was another.

And three days later I heard those words on NPR. The U.S. embassy was bombed in Kabul. My thoughts went to you. I grabbed my phone before I could even think straight.

Are you okay? I texted.

I stared at the screen until I saw those three dots that meant you were writing.

I’m alive. I’m unharmed. I wasn’t there. But my friends were, you wrote.

Then more dots.

I’m not okay.

I didn’t know how to respond. So I didn’t.

I’m sorry.