“And then, after a while,” she continued, “I heard somebody kind of fall down the stairs and then go outside. That must have been you. And I heard Sam walking back and forth up there. I can recognize his steps, even when he’s barefoot. I got back into bed and turned the light off. Tinker and Sambo, the cats, were there with me. I take them in to keep me warm. It’s not very nice, sleeping alone. And I heard him come down the steps very slowly. I thought he was going out, but he knocked at my door and opened it. He looked very serious. Not smiling at all. I was a little afraid. He came and sat beside me and started petting my arm.”

“What did he say?”

Sam lay two feet away. His mouth was open, he breathed softly. It would probably taste lousy when he woke up. He slept curled up, one hand beneath his head. He looked foreign. Unfamiliar. Had I ever seen him sleep before?

“He said you’d gone to get ice cream,” Clancy answered.

“Yes.”

“He wanted to come back up here. He made the cats stay out. It was wonderful.”

She reached over to touch my hand. The button on the pajama fly popped. I could see her swelling belly through the gaping opening. Her great hips and thighs stretched the thin cloth.

“Aren’t you supposed to work this morning?”

“I called in sick. I want to stay here with him.”

“No. You’d better go to work. You can’t afford to lose that job. And don’t tell him I was here, will you? Don’t tell him you saw me, okay?”

“But—”

“I have a surprise for him. I’ll come back tonight. Can you loan me some money till I see you? I’m really broke.”

She fished in Sam’s discarded pants and pulled out a dirty dollar bill. I stood up too fast and jarred the kitchen chair that was at the foot of the mattress. Sam’s guns were hanging from it, his red hat was on the seat. The guns clinked feebly. I went quickly to the door and out.

I slept in my chaise until supper. I knew he must have been up by that time. I went to the corner grocery that sold frosted cakes in paper boxes. Thought I’d take him a little present. Cake and a quart of milk.