A pause, while he wonders how much he’s supposed to make of this disclosure. “About Teresa,” he says. “That’s her name, but in high school everybody thought she was prudish, and there was another Terry in the class. You’re right, though, it’s nice to be back with her. I love her, I guess.”

“Of course you do.”

“I’ve begun to check around, for jobs in mental health. Akron’s a lot like Brewer except it’s three times as big. It has the same river, and miles of row houses, and abandoned plants turned into something else—they’ve turned a huge Quaker Oats factory into a Hilton Hotel with round rooms in the old grain silos—and no shortage of misery. I was thinking of looking for something in a drug-rehab place. Addicts may freeze to death but they don’t do suicide.”

“That was too bad. I could tell how upset you were.”

“I wasn’t that upset. Esther told me not to take it egotistically. She asked me when I gave notice if that was the reason. I said I hoped not. Hey, Happy Birthday! Forty. Wow.”

“You remembered.”

“How could I forget? I even have a quotation to give you. ‘The very motion of our life is towards happiness.’ End quote.”

“What’s that from?”

“From a very dumb book Ronnie Harrison gave me for Christmas. It’s on page one, which is as far as I’ve gotten.”

“Maybe you should go on to page two.”

He has broken the lovely flow they were having. Ronnie Harrison still frightens her. He asks, “How’s the weather in Diamond County?”

“Cold. Winter! Inches of snow, and some more tonight. We all thought it couldn’t do winter any more, because of global warming.”

“I know. Here too. The same weather, basically the same everything. But I like it. I like seeing different license plates.”

“Your mother said over the phone she and Ronnie are going down to the Florida condo and thinking of selling the house and moving there for good. They both have aches and pains warm weather might help.”

“For years I’ve told her to sell. But listen. If you do go to Mom’s for dinner, take Billy or somebody with you, for protection from Ron. You’re too—”

She waits.

“Delicious. Sweet. Innocent,” he finds himself saying.

“Nelson.”

“Yes?”

“I have been seeing Billy.”

“Surprise, surprise.”

“You’re teasing, aren’t you, when you call him a goon?”

“Well, he was a boy goon. Anyway, in this country even goons have their rights.”

“I think he’s darling.”

“In what way?”

“He thinks I’m wonderful. After those horrible things you got me to admit in the car at least I don’t have anything to hide from him. He says when he’s with me his anxieties go away.”

“Well, is that a good reason—?”

“Nelson, no reason is perfect. But then neither are we.”