I Stayed in the Car Because I Didn’t Want My Evening to Start Yet

Dear Delyara, I got home on time. That was the sad part. There was nothing wrong with the timing, nothing wrong with the house, nothing dramatic waiting inside. Still, I turned the engine off and just sat there with both hands in my lap, staring at the front door like it belonged to a life I needed a minute to re-enter. I could already picture everything. The shoes in the hallway. The question about dinner. The missing charger. The school thing I forgot to sign. The sound of my own name from upstairs. So I stayed in the car. It felt selfish for about ten seconds. Then it felt necessary. Then it felt so peaceful I almost cried.