She say, “Just let me finish it, Alan. Don’t make me beg,” she say. Ain’t no way she hold him, he too strong. Lift weights three days a week. Runs. Got muscles like concrete. Know how to box but don’t never hit her. She done hit him plenty with her little drunk fists, ain’t hurt him, though. He turn away and start taking the cap off the bottle. She grab for it. She got both hands on it. He trying to pull it away. She panting. He pulling the bottle away, down in the sink so he can pour it out. They going to break it. Somebody going to get cut. May be him, may be her. Don’t matter who. They tugging, back and forth, up and down. Ain’t nobody in they right mind.

“Let go!” she say. She know Randy hearing it. He done run way once. Ain’t enough for her. Ought to be but ain’t.

He jerk it away and it hit the side of the sink and break. Blood gushing out of his hand. Mixing with the wine. Blood and wine all over the sink. Don’t look good. Look bad. Look like maybe somebody have to kill theirself before it all get over with. Can’t keep on like this. Done gone on too long.

“Godomightydamn,” he say. Done sliced his hand wide open. It bad, she don’t know how bad. Angel don’t want to see. She run back to the living room for the rest of that glass. She don’t drink it, he’ll get it. She grab it. Pour it down. Two inches of wine. Then it all gone. She throw the glass into the mirror and everything break. Alan yell something in the kitchen and she run back in there and look. He got a bloody towel wrap around his hand. Done unloaded two tons of wood today and hospital bill gonna be more than he made. Won’t take fifteen minutes. Emergency room robbery take longer than plain robbery but don’t require no gun.

He shout, “This is it!” He crying and he don’t cry. “Can’t stand it! Sick of it!”

She sick too. He won’t leave her alone. He love her. He done cut his hand wide open because of this love. He crying, little boy terrified. He run off again, somebody liable to snatch him up and they never see him again. Ought to be enough but ain’t. Ain’t never enough.