Angel say, “Not just yet, baby. I going to sit in here in the livin room a while. I so sorry you cut your hand,” she say.

“You want to move?” he say. “Another state? Another country? You say the word I quit my job tomorrow. Don’t matter. Just a job,” he say.

“Don’t want to move,” she say. She trembling.

“Don’t matter what people thinks,” he say.

She think he gonna come over and get down on the floor and hug her knees and cry, but he don’t. He look like he holding back to keep from doing that. And she glad he don’t. He do that, she make them promises again. She promise anything if he just stop.

“Okay,” he say. “I goin to bed now.” He look beat.

He go. She by herself. It real quiet now. Hear anything. Hear walls pop, hear mice move. They eating something in the cabinet, she need to set some traps.

Time go by so slow. She know he in there listening. He listen for any step she make, which room she move into, which furniture she reach for. She have to wait. It risky now. He think she in here drinking, they gonna have it all over again. One time a night enough. Smart thing is go to bed. Get next to him. That what he want. Ought to be what she want. Use to be she did.

Thirty minutes a long time like this. She holding her breath when she go in there to look at him. He just a lump in the dark. Can’t tell if he sleeping or not. Could be laying there looking at her. Too dark to tell. He probably asleep, though. He tired, he give out. He work so hard for them.

Tomorrow be better. Tomorrow she have to try harder. She know she can do it, she got will power. Just need a little time. They have to be patient with her. Ain’t built Rome in a day. And she gonna be so good in the future, it ain’t gonna hurt nothing to have a few cold beers tonight. Ain’t drinking no whiskey now. Liquor store done closed anyway. Big Star still open. She just run down get some beer and then run right back. Don’t need to drink what she got hid anyway. Probably won’t need none later, she gonna quit anyway, but just in case.

She know where the checkbook laying. She ain’t making no noise. If he awake he ain’t saying nothing. If he awake he’d be done said something. He won’t know she ever been gone. Won’t miss no three dollar check no way. Put it in with groceries sometime.