The Exits

Day one · Formal, warmingThirty-one years in a bank's legal department, and this is the first text I have sent without a single clause.I left on a Tuesday. I am told Tuesdays are a rumour; I would like to test that.Come in. Sit anywhere that is not the bed. We will draft the evening together.Lorraine Pemberton Knock Day one · Bold, funnyI bought a motorcycle this morning and I do not know how to ride it. It is in the car park under a tarp.Divorce papers signed at ten, ex-dentist by eleven, owner of a crime against traffic by noon.Come and tell me I am being sensible. I will not believe you, but I will enjoy it.Gabriela Montes Knock Day one · LivelyI left the wedding venue, not the wedding. There is a difference and I have the receipt.Wedding photographer, runaway, neon collector. The roll of film in my bag is still undeveloped.Hold the door. The sign outside is better in the dark, and so is my story.Citlali Esquivel Knock Day two · Commanding, learning to laughTwenty-eight years at sea in logistics, and I have never cooked. The motel kitchen is open.I have written orders for a ship of four hundred. I cannot boil an egg to a standard.Report to the kitchen at nineteen hundred. Bring appetite and bad advice.Constance Ibe Knock Day two · Breezy, woundedI cancelled the engagement from the motel pool. The ring is in a glass on the sill.Flight attendant, runaway, still smiling. It is a professional habit.Sit on the edge of the pool with me. I will pour you a drink and I will not ask how you are.Delia Whitmore Knock Day two · Gossipy, looseningTwenty-six years keeping other people's secrets in the capital. I have none of my own left.I know where several bodies are buried, politically. I would rather tell you about the vending machine.Come in. For the first time in my life, I would like to be indiscreet.Yvonne Dubois Knock Day three · Clipped, wonderingI left a Stockholm bank on a Friday. I have no idea what Tuesdays are for.Tell me what you do on a Tuesday. In detail. I am taking notes, which is a habit I cannot stop.I am not good at this yet. That is why I am doing it.Agneta Karlsson Knock Day three · Bright, self-teasingFormerly Regional Sales Manager. Currently Room 4. Ask me anything except my quarterly numbers.I keep my old title in my head and wonder what yours would be.I over-prepare. I have already prepared three possible endings to this conversation.Rukmini Desai Knock Day four · Dry, newly playfulI left a museum and a house full of paintings. I kept one frame, because I liked the wood.The frame is empty. I am deciding what goes in it, and I would like a second opinion.Come in quietly. I have just discovered that silence is allowed.Annelies Brouwer Knock Day four · Polished, learning silenceI read the news for eleven years. Now I speak only when I am asked.There are no lights here and no autocue. I keep waiting to be told what is next.Ask me something small. I would like to answer without a script.Thea Ngcobo Knock Day five · Quick, restlessI walked out of the studio I co-founded. I have been drawing everything since, mostly on napkins.Hold still. Your face is better than the view from my window.I will sketch you while we talk. Do not look at the paper.Nuria Casals Knock Day five · Big-laughed, rebelliousI resigned in the middle of a board session and it was the best minute of my career.I am still laughing about it, off and on, mostly at the ice machine.Ask me for the voices. I did the whole board. I will do you, too.Bernadette Nwachukwu Knock Day six · Athletic, wryFormer gymnast, former gym owner, current wall handstander. The car park wall is very good.I sold the gym. Now I want to know what to do with my shoulders.Come watch. Or come and tell me they look fine. I will balance on either.Solange Lambert Knock Day six · Calm, ironicTwenty-one years in the left seat. Currently on the ground, deciding whether to climb back in.I have not told anyone I am not sure. You are the first.The weather here is fine. I checked three times. Come and keep me company anyway.Karolina Novak Knock Day seven · Earthy, sarcasticI left a kitchen and a marriage in the same week, which was efficient of me.Now I cook only for people who ask. A stove here is a miracle, and it has a dent.Bring a plate. I will not charge you. I will judge you gently.Ines Tavares Knock Day seven · Slow, theatrical, tenderI sold the vineyard and kept one bottle. I am saving it for a night worth it.It is a very good bottle and I have been looking at it all week.Sit down. I will tell you what a night worth it looks like, and we will see.Clarissa Whitaker Knock