Intermission

"Hey." she said. Then there was nothing. Just the background silence of the line. "You there?" she asked when Harry's pause went on and on.

He had no idea what to say, how to start. Kind of unusual for a smart mouth but such was the extent of his shock.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here. Where are you?"

"I'm ok." she ducked the question and Harry realized it right away. He jumped back in to the conversation.

"You're well? Not hurt? You're ok?"

"I'm fine. Everything's all right. Thanks. Thanks for asking."

"So what's up?" Why are you calling was the question tearing at Harry's brain but this was Chris and he knew she either would or would not answer the question in her own time and on her own terms. So he kept up a bantering line, hoping to keep her on the phone. After all, this was the woman he had put in a car over a year ago and said his final farewell to a tail light in the rain. This was a voice he had never expected to hear again. And it suddenly felt so good to hear.

"Nothing. Nothing really. I just thought it would be ok to call. It is ok to call, isn't it?"

"Rob's in jail. It's ok."

"I didn't mean that."

"Josette is long gone too."

"I didn't mean that either."

Harry wrestled. This was Chris and only the truth would do, but the truth might slam a door that had just cracked open. Maybe. If it was, he was inclined to see how wide open he could get it, and he had to be careful doing so. The truth, then: "There's someone, but she doesn't live here." He held his breath. "It's serious enough not to be dismissive about it but it's not that serious. I guess that sounds confusing."

Chris laughed. "No, it pretty much sounds like you."

Harry laughed, and he laughed with all the joy he had lost over the last year. And then he noticed that there were tears on his face.

"Could I see you?" she asked.