Chapter 2

Cindy sounded uneasy on the phone.

"I was going to call you today too. Clementine showed up yesterday. You know, Earl's childhood sweetheart. His ex."

"Last night she said the whole reason she came back to the country was to make it up to Earl. She wants to get back together with him."

"He didn't agree, but anyone could see how badly he was taking it. His face was dark the whole time, and he drank a lot..."

Cindy went on and on at the other end of the line.

I listened to every word, and said nothing.

At the end, her sigh reached my ear.

"If it weren't for me, you'd never have met Earl in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Faith..."

Only after the call ended did I walk back to the window.

At some point Clementine had gotten up. Now she was sitting on the stone steps just outside the door, staring at the direction Earl's car had driven off, not moving at all.

Night fell, and she was still sitting in the same spot, not having moved.

I stood at the balcony too, and just quietly watched her for the whole day.

Only when headlights lit up the front door did Clementine finally get to her feet.

She must have been sitting too long, because her legs had gone stiff, and she stumbled as she ran toward Earl's car.

Earl didn't so much as glance at her. He walked straight into the yard.

This time Clementine worked up her courage and wrapped her arms tight around him from behind.

"Earl, I'm begging you. Just let me explain, please?"

"Back then I really was forced into it. Your family went bankrupt, my parents made me go abroad. I was only in my early twenties. There was no way I could stand up to them."

Earl's back went ramrod straight, the hands at his sides clenched into fists, as if he were forcing something down with everything he had.

Clementine kept crying, as though waiting for an answer.

After a long moment his voice came out, rough and reluctant.

"But those legs are your own. Going abroad was your choice."

With that, he pried her arms off his waist and walked into the house without looking back.

I stood at the balcony and took in the whole thing.

He came inside looking hollowed out.

He didn't seem to notice me standing on the balcony, and went straight into the bathroom.

When he came back out, freshly showered, he finally saw me there.

He came over the way he always did, slid an arm easily around my waist, and buried his face in the curve of my neck.

"Faith. Thank god I have you."

After everything today, I didn't want to dig into what he actually meant by that.

A moment later he lifted his head, and I tipped my chin toward where Clementine was.

He followed my gaze outside.

She still hadn't left, standing frozen in place, hollow, as if she were waiting for something.

A flash of resentment crossed his eyes, and he took my hand to pull me inside.

"Don't mind her. She's insane, honestly..."

Before he could finish, fat drops of rain came slamming down.

The rain came hard and fast, as if the sky had torn open a great hole.

His feet stopped short, and he turned his head back toward Clementine.

She was still standing where she'd been, the rain soaking her through in no time, and yet she seemed not to feel it at all.

His grip on my hand tightened, harder and harder.

It was clearly my hand he was holding, but at that moment there wasn't the smallest place for me in his eyes or his heart.

"Fuck."

After a long moment he couldn't hold back anymore. With a low roar he bolted out the door.

I stayed on the balcony, watching the two of them out there in the rain.

Clementine forced out a small smile and looked up at him.

She seemed to say something, but the rain was too loud, and I couldn't make it out.

But the next second, I heard his furious shout perfectly clearly.

"Clementine! What the hell do you want!"

"Why is it, after all these years, you still can't learn to take care of yourself?!"