When Mama Octavia used to complain that Clara was working her last nerve, Clara always thought the woman must not have had too many to start with. Especially since Clara always managed to skip all the rest to land right on that last one. But now, standing out on the sidewalk in front of the Republic Gardens, the doorman continuing to eye her suspiciously, she understood how a person could burn right through every single nerve in her body to end up irritating the final one with only a little bit of effort.
