But it wasn’t even at all.

“Oh, Jeezum Crow,” said Gayle, looking up at Lendall and indicating the small maroon pouch that was sitting on the table. “Is that really all the love I gave you?”

That was a tough question to answer. Because it was—and it wasn’t.

“I mean,” sighed Gayle, spiraling into self-doubt, “what kind of person am I if that’s all I gave you?—Wait—no!” She knew that she had given him more love than what could possibly have been in the small maroon velvet pouch and instantly stopped doubting herself. “No. No, no, no. I know I gave you more than that, Lendall, I know it!”

“Gayle—” Lendall wanted to tell her to take a look at what was in the small maroon velvet pouch before she got upset again but didn’t get a chance to, because Gayle wasn’t done.

“Did you lose it?” she half asked and half accused.

“What? No!” Lendall was surprised to find himself raising his voice.

“Did you lose it, Lendall? ’Cause I know I gave you more than that, and I think you’re pulling something on me, and this is not a good time to be pulling something on me!”

“Gayle! I’m not pullin’ somethin’ on you! I wouldn’t do that to you! Jeez!” Lendall was really mad. And he was surprised by how mad he had gotten. And by how mad Gayle had gotten. And by how loud they had both gotten.

And so was Gayle.

And it was quiet for a moment. And then Lendall pulled himself together and said calmly, “Gayle, I don’t like the way you’re talkin’ to me right now. And I don’t like the way I just talked to you right now. And—I’m sorry—but—I’m mad. Because I don’t think you get to just decide that ‘we’re done’ out of the blue without talkin’ to me about it first. But since you seem to think that you do get to decide—for both of us—that ‘we’re done’—out of the blue—without havin’ all the facts—” Lendall gestured toward the small maroon velvet pouch he had given her—“then I guess maybe you should just take what you came for … and I guess we’ll be done.”

And with that, Lendall went back inside his house and slammed the door behind him.

The storm door haltingly danced its way shut with a dull metallic thud a few seconds later.

And then it was quiet.

More quiet than it had gotten when Gayle asked Lendall what he thought about them getting married.

And more quiet than Gayle ever remembered it being in Almost—and Almost was a pretty quiet place.

Gayle stood on the porch with all the quiet, facing the door that Lendall had just slammed—and was stunned. Because she had come over to end things with Lendall.

And he had beaten her to it.

And a wave of rage surged through her body. And she punched the aluminum storm door with the outside of her fist. And then kicked it.