The celebration party seemed to be heading for an all-night affair, so Elise Don used the excuse of catching a flight to leave early and took a cab back to her apartment.
Today was the holiday, and behind several doors in the hallway, laughter and cheerful voices could be heard.
Elise Don swiped her card to open the main door, and the light from the hallway slanted at a forty-five-degree angle into the dark room.
Elise Don felt momentarily dazed.
It turned out that she had forgotten to turn on the foyer light when she left early this morning — a habit she formed after arriving in Paris. If returning late, she would turn on the light in advance, so it felt as if someone was waiting for her, regardless of how late she got home.
But this morning, she forgot to turn on the light.
At the moment she opened the door, Elise Don admitted that loneliness had defeated her.
