The City and the Moon

It was in the year’s shortest days, in the few spare moments before Molly would arrive home from work, that Asher filled out applications for graduate school. He did so furtively, in that premature night of early evening, feeling ridiculously too old, fearing Molly’s logic. But he knew if he did not at least try, regret would stay with him like heartburn.

In early spring, that one acceptance letter came. An enormous relief. But how should he break the news to Molly? Asher called his friend Leo, whom he had known since childhood.