Leave the World Behind

The knock at the door scares Amanda, who suggests that Clay get a bat. Clay is incredulous; he’s a professor, and the thought of violence seems ridiculous to him. There’s another knock, and a man’s voice calling out, so Clay answers the door despite Amanda’s protestations.

Outside is a Black man and woman in their sixties. They are apologetic and try overtly to put Clay and Amanda at ease, explaining that they do not want to frighten anyone. Amanda admits that their arrival startled her, and she is still thinking of this encounter as one that could turn dangerous. Clay asks how he can help the couple, and the man reveals that he knows Amanda’s name and asks if they can come in.

The man reveals that he’s G. H., the owner of the house and the person Amanda corresponded with when she rented the property. Amanda realizes that she hadn’t bothered picturing the owners of the home, but if she had, they wouldn’t have been Black. Clay feels annoyance due to the interruption, and Amanda is furious with him and with the strangers, but they allow the couple into their own home while Clay notes that it’s suddenly quite cold out.