I couldn't hold

in bed, I tried to sound ca

me cigarette ash i

stop by while

mpt to find an inn

ered for a second b

, y

e by to check on

nuck a smoke i

ow how

e of toast, av

lk to him

lt flimsy, but I w

later that day, under th

talk, I asked, "Did Frank s

d he ca

minutes on Tuesday to dro

hy

aid, trying to k

f he' s still smo

oned findin

se on the other

oki

ten years ago afte

and the smel

sure it

od ran

" I mu

been some

the lie sitting lik

had

face, easily and

my own mo

was a stark contr

k, h

as th

t door, and she mentioned seeing the

ou, getting her a saf

the phon

new

n' t buy E

did

h

rand-new white sedan in your

of the passenger side,

sumed it was a

tilted on

ma

ew

rett

together into a picture I

iness wash over me, a

my body and mind pus

a heavy, dreamless sleep

un over by a truck, the weight of

to be recov

herself as she got ready for he

k, a shade of deep red I' d

ips look unna

stick?"

she said, blotting h

t in the back

her

item in her

tick was

side-by-side, the air between

tator at my own li

e ER came in, this time

ely, but his ey

s look good," he said, f

s morning to check on the baby' s deve

all flicker

his gaze shifting to me, "there

nd development, it' s measur

odd

ounded

ed up perfectly with my last wee

cleared h

, it' s measuring cl

r than it should be, based on t

t me like a

ve w

th la

n my head, my th

rent time zone, working a fou

impos

ompletely

"gentleness" and "control" suddenl

t been ac

y wife' s "strenuous activity

ed at

nnocence, but I could se

as t

of

e secrets, t

was so excited to meet, the reason I

d down on me with the

going to b

ker who was going

a cu