The best time to leave a city may be when you are not quite ready to. The urge to leave looks for resolution elsewhere; the desire to stay eases the weight of what lies ahead. The hesitation between the two is often the moment to persist.

On a humid summer evening four years ago, I returned to this city as home again. After successive moves, it was the first time I was not beginning anew. Old habits, I thought, were sure to find their way back. I expected familiarity to come naturally, free from the need to assimilate. Yet, upon arrival, I found myself restless for the next stop.