“She was the only one I found out about, but I don’t know. I assume she was it. Your father and I had a good marriage, but I think that over time maybe he’d fallen a little bit out of love with me. At least it felt that way; he began treating me more like a friend than a wife.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“You don’t need to be sorry about anything. It wasn’t you. And if it makes you feel better, I can tell you that I think your father only ever loved one woman, and that was your mother, Harry, not me.”

Harry didn’t say anything right away. He’d never heard Alice talk so openly before. “I think he was in love with you,” he finally said. “He said nice things about you.”

She half smiled, and something about the expression made her look young and vulnerable. “Thank you, Harry. I appreciate it. Look, I’m exhausted right now. I just want to watch some television for a while. You understand, don’t you?”

“Of course. I’m sorry.” He got up to leave the room as Alice turned the volume up. He was returning to the kitchen when she said, “You’ll watch with me, won’t you?”

“Oh. Okay.” Harry got himself a beer, and put a slice of the Mediterranean pizza on a plate and returned to the living room. He almost sat in the leather recliner, but it had been his father’s chair, so instead he sat on the other side of the couch from Alice. Together, they watched the show in silence, Alice’s attention not even wavering during the commercials. As soon as the show ended, another one started up instantly. Same couple, different house. Harry stood, stretched, and asked Alice if it was okay if he took a walk. Without turning away from the screen, she said, “Has it stopped raining?”

Harry tried to remember if it had rained that day. He hadn’t been out of the house. “I don’t know,” he said. “I need a little fresh air, regardless.”

“Go, Harry,” she said. “I’ll be fine.” She sounded a little doubtful, though, and for a moment Harry considered just staying with Alice. He felt bad for her, and she seemed to need him. But she had the television, for now at least, and he’d be back soon, he told himself.

He cleaned his plate, looking out through the window that was over the sink. The sky was filled with dusky light and towers of pink clouds. The window was cracked and the air that was coming through it felt cool, almost cold. He went up the stairs to his room, where he changed into his best jeans and pulled a V-neck sweater over his T-shirt, then left the house, the sound of Alice’s program still coming from the living room.

Chapter 18

Then