We went back to the hospital and collected his things. Patricia came and cut off the name tag from his wrist and told us that the pharmacy had his drugs ready for him. I carried his case down the corridor. We got a taxi to my apartment and walked past the painters, who seemed to have barely started, even though they had been working for days.

“You should knock down some of these walls,” Pablo said.

“Make the rooms bigger, transform the place.”

“I thought that you preferred the other house.”

“I do. Can we go there now?”

“I haven’t paid the rent this month, but I can write him a check now,” I said.

I had left the car down a side street. We put our bags in the trunk and the box of drugs on the back seat. I drove to John Evanson’s apartment building and left the check in an envelope with the porter there and then drove out to the marina. The sky was clear of clouds and the day was becoming warm.

“Why don’t we have lunch at home,” I said. “We can stop at the supermarket.”

“I’m feeling tired,” he said. “I’m not sure I’ll be up for lunch.”

“Let’s try,” I said. I left him in the car while I bought supplies in the supermarket.

“I’m going to have to start thinking about work again,” I said as I drove toward the house.

“I know,” he said, “and I’m going to have to make some decisions too. But I’ll think about it in a minute. I’ll work out what I’m going to do.”

“I still love you,” I said.

He did not reply. The house looked beautiful in the light of the afternoon sun. We unpacked and went back in. I opened a bottle of wine and poured him a glass, but he could not bear the taste of it. I poured him a glass of water and we toasted each other. He asked me to stay while he made a phone call. I watched him dial; he was ringing San Francisco. He spoke to Jack, but he did not tell him that he had been sick, or that I had been sick. He told him that we were expecting him to visit us. He asked Jack how he was and I watched his face darken. He handed me the receiver and I spoke to Jack, who said he was finding it hard to manage without Mart. He had believed that he was prepared for him dying, but it was all much worse than he had thought it would be. I told him that he was welcome to come down here and handed the receiver back to Pablo.