“I was just referrin’ to the other night,” I said. “You know, when you was teasin’ me about Rose, and I told you there wasn’t nothing between us. That’s all I meant when I said you already knew all about us.”

“Well—” She was anxious to believe me. “You’re sure?”

“O’ course, I’m sure,” I said. “Why, my gosh, ain’t we the same as engaged to get married? Ain’t we goin’ to go away together just as soon as we figure out what to do about my wife an were sure there ain’t any kickbacks from them two pimps I killed? That’s right, ain’t it, so why would I be fooling around with another woman?”

She smiled, her lips kind of trembly. She kissed me, and snuggled up in my arms.

“Nick . . . don’t see her anymore. After she’s gone home, I mean.”

“Well, I sure don’t want to,” I said. “I sure don’t aim to, anyways. I sure won’t see her, Amy, unless I just can’t noways get out of it.”

“Yes? And just what is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean, she’s Myra’s friend,” I said. “Even before Tom got himself killed, Myra was always after me to give Rose some help, an’ I felt sorry for her so I usually did. So it’ll look awful funny if I stop all of a sudden, without even waitin’ until she can hire a farm hand.”

Amy was silent for a moment, thinking things over. Then her head moved in a little nod.

“All right, Nick. I suppose you will have to see her—one more time.”

“Well, I’m not sure that’ll be enough,” I said. “I mean, it prob’ly will, but—”

“One more time, Nick. Just to tell her that she’d better employ some help because you won’t be seeing her again. No,”—she put her hand over my mouth as I started to speak—“that’s it, Nick.Just once more, and never again. If you want me, that is. If you want to keep me from being very, very angry with you.”

I said, all right, that’s the way it would be. There just wasn’t much else I could say. But what I was thinking was that Rose was going to have something to say about this, and I could get in just as much trouble by not heeding her as I could Amy.

Amy just wasn’t giving me a chance, god-dang it! I was just as anxious to be shet of Rose as she was to have me. But it would take time and if I didn’t have the time, if I could only see Rose once more

“Nick, darling . . . I’m still here.”

I said, “Yeah, danged if you ain’t.” And I hugged her close and kissed and petted her, putting a lot of enthusiasm into it. But I tell you frankly, I didn’t feel much. And it wasn’t just because I was so tired I could hardly lift a finger.

I’d been almost on the point of hitting on a plan, something that would not only take care of Rose without me seeing her more than once, but would take care of Myra and Lennie at the same time. And then Amy had spoke up, and the pieces of a plan had scattered every which way. And I knew I was going to have a heck of a time putting ‘em together again, if I ever was able to.