After a bit he flicked the cigarette out into the mud and watched as it drenched through with rain and fell apart. When he couldn’t see any of it anymore, when the paper and tobacco were all mixed with the mud and gone, he said, “The thing is, I took you along, what I’m afraid of is everytime I looked at you I’d think about this place. And what I got to do. What I’ve got to do is put all this behind me.” He still did not look at her.

Her voice was very low. “You’re wrong. If you were to carry me along I’d just become a part of everywhere we went. You’ve got it backward. You leave me here, everytime you think of me you’ll think of everything else happened here. And I’ll get all mixed up with that. I’ll never be just me, to you, again. I’ve got forty-two dollars.”

He did not smile at this. But felt what he thought was a smile turn over within him. He stood, one last long look at the rain and turned to look at her. He did not say anything, just looked at her. As if reading every line of her, every part he could know or hope to know. To hold it with him. To take away with him. She saw him doing this.

“Then go,” she said.

“Daphne.”

“No. Just go. Go on.”

“Listen to me.”

“No. Go on, Foster Pelham. Look! What’ve you got here? That old ruint suitcase? Your gun? Those dogs’ll carry themselves out to your car. There’s this old sleeping bag. Here.” And without getting off the bed she rolled sideways and pulled it from under her and still sitting on the bed folded it and placed it on the end of the tick. “There. You’re all set.”

“Daphne—”

“You be quiet! Whatever it is you want to say, I don’t want to hear it! Maybe you found what it was you couldn’t say the other night. Well, that’s an old song and dance. I don’t want any part of it. Keep it, Foster. Keep it for yourself. Tell yourself those things. I don’t want to hear it. Just go. Just get out of here. Get away from me.”

He stood silent before her. Feeling crude, shambling, struck by her fury. After a time, knowing it was the wrong thing but not clear what else he might do, he said, “At least let me give you a lift out to your house.”

Her head jerked up to look at him, her eyes wild with anger. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to set right here. I don’t want any rides from you. Just get the fuck out of here.”