It had been years since I last walked down this street. The buildings were the same height they had always been, leaning slightly toward each other as though they were in on a secret, but the storefronts had changed. The bakery on the corner had a new name, the café I once visited almost daily was now a hair salon, and the grocery store’s faded sign had been replaced with one in a bright, unfamiliar font.

Julian kept a gentle pace beside me. He didn’t say much, but I knew he was watching ...