Coming home is never easy.

What do you do when you get a bloody nose driving on the interstate from Chicago to St. Louis with no napkins or tissues? You sure as hell don't pull over. You keep going.

You drive until you're back at your grad school campus. You get out of the car, with a bloody face, crusted fingernails, and scabby nostrils. You walk to the nearest bathroom like you own the place. And you don't apologize for making the white porcelain sink red, like an impromptu watercolor your nose decided to paint.

Then you go to the library and wait for class to start. Vacation is over.