The tears kept on coming, streaming down her face, blocking her vision. It didn’t seem safe to drive when she was crying so hard, so she hooked a left on Curzon Mill and pulled into the giant parking lot that belonged to Maudslay State Park and she found a spot in the very back, near the smelly bathrooms, where she cried and she cried and she cried. The parking lot was full of summer hikers and people getting ready to exercise their dogs and people examining their post-walk legs for ticks. There was a moment when one of the park rangers in his khaki outfit walked over to her, probably to see if she had an annual parking pass or if she cared to pay the daily fee instead, but when he saw her crying he backed away. She appreciated the ranger’s understanding. It felt like the kindest thing anyone had done for her in a long time.

When she was all done crying, she looked in the rearview mirror and was met by the terrifying sight of her red, swollen eyes. Clearly she wouldn’t be able to re-do the video about accrual bonds until at least tomorrow. No amount of concealer was going to fix this.

44.

Rebecca

“It’s so big,” said Rebecca. “Way bigger than I ever imagined.”

“Why, thank you,” said Daniel.

She hit him on the arm and said, “Get your mind out of the gutter.” They had gotten gelato and were sitting on a bench among the hordes of people, looking at the replica of the Nao Santa Maria, one of the tall ships that was visiting Newburyport Harbor and had docked at the waterfront.

Rebecca studied the steep, narrow gangway, the multiple decks, the tall wooden masts. “To think,” she said. “The ship this one is based on was responsible for the discovery of America. I can’t help but be cowed by it.”

“Well, yes,” said Daniel. “Although of course the country had already been discovered by the Native Americans.”

“Yes of course,” said Rebecca, abashed. “But it’s still a beautiful ship.”

“It’s still a beautiful ship,” agreed Daniel.

Once they finished their gelato, Daniel stacked their cups neatly and walked to a nearby garbage can. When he regained his seat beside her, he put his hand on the back of her neck and turned her face gently toward his. They kissed. She was going to pull away—what if somebody saw them?—but just for a second, hidden by the crowds, she didn’t care about keeping Daniel a secret.

When they pulled away—it was a brief kiss, but enough to get Rebecca’s heart racing—Daniel had a faraway look in his eyes.

“What?” Rebecca said. “You look like you just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”