“That’s just it,” she cried. “You think that way, you won’t ever find anything else. I’m sick of it. I’m just sick of thinking that’s how it’s going to be.” Her face strained, turgid, the gape of a turtle snapping at air. So lovely.

“Well fuck,” he said. His energy gone, unfocused, shriveled. As if he’d held her in his hands as long as his words came forth and then with them gone she also fled back into herself. Wherever that was. Not here. “Fuck it.” He began to walk a circle around her, stalking, his feet churning the sand, his motion a tightening of his pitch. “I never did a wrong to you. I never trailed after you. I let you go your way. Maybe that was my mistake but it’s how I have to be, how I have to live, whoever it is. I gave you everything that’s mine to give. I never wanted anything but you. I trusted you. Trusted you with me. Stupid fucker, right? Stupid fuck good only until something better comes along. Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

Her voice small when he was behind her. “I never thought I knew you. Who you really was.”

He struck, grasping her shoulders and turning her to face him and he leaned close so he could smell her and she him, drops of sweat flung from his face to hers. “All right. Fuck it.” And he sprang away from her and ran the simple feet to the Ford and tore loose the crank and jammed it home and twisted it tight and looked then over his shoulder at her still standing where he’d turned her and called to her. “Let’s go then. Get whatever it is you come back for and let’s go. I’ll take you where you want. Let’s get out of here.”

“Jamie,” she said, advancing a step toward him.

“What is it? He up there on the road waiting for you, is that it?” His body crunched down against the front of the car.

“Jamie.” Stopped now, her face torn apart before him.

“So you don’t know me. All right. Let’s go.” He twisted the crank and let it go and the car popped and churned and died and he raced around the side of it and adjusted the magneto and the gas lever and then ran back to the front and again spun the crank.

“Jamie.” Her voice up, calling him.

“What? What do you want? What do you want from me?” Words like birds breaking their way free, splintering his breastbone. Still leaned at the crank.

She beat her thighs with her fists. Cried out, “I don’t know.”