This is just too much, she thought. He should’ve been on time. She turned around and shuffled home.

There was no place to rest in that shambolic place, so she was forced to clear the bed, and this drew her into a larger action of sweeping, dusting, and polishing that was usefully distracting. At minutes after nine, she showered and went to bed, tired, anxious, and disappointed. She’d called him several times without getting an answer.

At five after midnight the telephone jolted her awake. The response to her grunted hello was Fire’s voice, recognizable but thinner.

“How are you? Where are you?” she asked anxiously.

“At the hospital.”

She gathered the sheets around her. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Phil swallowed some pills today.”

“Oh, my God. How is he?”

“Not so good.”

“Where are you?”

“St. Vincent’s Emergency Room.”

“Do you need me?” She was out of bed, ready to fling on some clothes.

“No, love, I’m fine. But thanks.”

“If you need me, Fire, I’ll come for you.”

“I’ll be okay.” His voice cracked. The fissure went right through her.

“If you need me, Fire, I’m there.”

“No … baby, don’t worry yourself.”

She didn’t know him well enough to know how to convince him. And she didn’t want to pressure him. He needed his energy for himself and his friend.

“Okay, but if you need me, call me, okay?” She began to lay out some clothes on the chair.

“I’m sorry about today,” he said. “I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart.”

“It’s okay,” she replied. “It’s okay.”

“I thought about you a lot today,” he said. “When I found out what happened to Phil I started to think about some of the things I want to do in this life. And getting a chance to know you was one of them. This thing between us is not ideal, Sylvia. I know that … this situation. But there is a certain logic to the chaos of the universe, and I don’t think our convergence is random. It has a meaning, Sylvia, and a purpose. And we owe it to ourselves to discover that … to find out what it is. Who knows, maybe this is the path through which we’ll become good friends. Or maybe we’re here to validate our respective involvements … to strengthen them in the long run. I …” His voice cracked again.

She sat on the edge of the bed. “I thought about you too, Fire. I was really mad at you today. While I was waiting for you a lot of crazy things happened—”

“Like what? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll tell you about it some other time. I was so angry … but now I’m so sorry, baby … so, so sorry. If you don’t want to be alone tonight … you can stay with me. Okay?”

“Okay … but are you sure? I mean, there are other people to consider.”