you’ll only burst? How do
you tell it to clamp itself off
from possibilities? God
knows
I don’t need more pain in
life. Why did I invite it in?
Do I have to feel pain to
believe I feel anything at all?
I Guess I Should Call Mom
She answers on the first ring.
Kristina? Thank God you’re
all right. What happened?
I omit most of the story—
the band, the booze, the monster.
I do mention running into Quade
at Wal-Mart. “We got to talking
and by the time I left, there was
too much snow on the road.”
Her voice has relaxed. I’ll
have to tell his mother you saw
him. What about your car?
“Impound won’t be open until
Monday, so I don’t know how
much they’ll want, or how
much damage there is to my car.
But Brad’s friend has a tow service.
We can bring it back here.”
Sounds like you’re not too
worried about getting to work.
Fishing. Definitely fishing.