The Hallway Was Longer and the Keys Were Gone

The Hallway Was Longer and the Keys Were Gone

I was late getting home and kept checking my phone, but the screen just showed my own lock screen over and over. When I finally got to the apartment, the hallway was longer than usual and the neighbor’s door was where ours should have been. Mom was in the kitchen making coffee like she still lived there. She asked how work was, except her voice was my manager’s, and she already knew I’d missed the meeting. I tried to explain I’d been on the train, but she just nodded and set a cup down for someone who wasn’t me. I kept looking for my keys in my coat and couldn’t remember if I’d locked the door behind me.