The door of the café closed behind me, and with it, years of waiting closed too. I did not walk quickly at first. My steps were steady, almost deliberate, as though I was teaching my body how to move in this new air. The river was only a short walk away, and I found myself drawn there without deciding.

The afternoon light hung low, scattering across the water in broken gold. Boats moved slowly along the current, their wakes dissolving into the ripples. People leaned against the railing, some ...