Keep it Buried

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[SPEAKER_00]: Danezanzo, the night.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to another episode of the Macomb, the terrifying.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Tonight, let's enjoy a slow burn that gets under your skin.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Our protagonist, Peter, might describe himself as norma.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He has a strict routine, but he works his job, takes walks and visits his mother occasionally.
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[SPEAKER_00]: From just that snapshot, he does sound pretty normal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: But, on one such drip to visit his mother, Peter hears the soft sound of crying, coming from somewhere in his mother's house.
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[SPEAKER_00]: and Peter on Earth's long buried secrets that his mother might rather stay where they lie.
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[SPEAKER_00]: This story is called, home is where the heart is buried, neath the floor, and was written by, M.M.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Sainte.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter turned on to the street just after three.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The houses looked the same as they had the last time he came.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Final sighting in three or four colors, drive ways with one car or two.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A plastic basket ball hoop still up in front of the corner house, even though the leaves were already down.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Jones' place sat third from the end.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The front garden edged in railroad ties she had paid a man to set 20 years ago.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He pulled into the driveway and sat for a minute with the engine off.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The bag from Malorie's was on the passenger seat.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Bread, the soft-kind she liked, a package of the sliced ham that was not on sale, a small carton of half-and-half because she said the store-brand tasted of cardboard.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had stopped at Conditori Oxenhuirna on the way through town and bought two cardamom buns, one for her, one for later.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The paper bag was warm against his thigh.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had eaten half of his in the car, and the sugar still clung to his fingers.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He wiped them on his trousers before he got out.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan came out onto the front step before he had both feet on the walk.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had on the gray cart again with the blue buttons and the house shoes that were not quite slippers.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Her hair was set the way it always was on Fridays.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She stood with one hand on the railing and watched him come up the walk.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There he is!
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said, I was starting to think the traffic had eaten you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I stopped for the buns.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't have to do that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She held the door and waited while he brought the bag in.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The kitchen smelled of the coffee she had already made, and of the floor polish she used on the wood.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The rest of the house had been carpeted and then re-carpeted.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The kitchen floor was still the original boards, sanded and refinished twice that he could remember, but never replaced.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She liked to say it would be a crime to cover wood that old.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The polish left a faint shine between the seams, near the refrigerator, the grain made a long pale streak that had been there since he was small.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A car door closed outside.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan glanced past him toward the front window.
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[SPEAKER_00]: That's Linda.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said she might stop with the cookies she promised for the church table.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She lives two streets over now.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You'll say hello, won't you?
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[SPEAKER_00]: She always asks after you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Linda came up the walk with a foil pan and a plastic grocery bag.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan met her at the door and took the pan with both hands.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The foil was still warm.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You shouldn't have gone to the trouble.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan said, if he's looked beautiful, did the grandson's help?
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[SPEAKER_00]: Only with the licking, Linda said.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She was already smiling.
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[SPEAKER_00]: just a weekend back to Hartford Monday morning.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Your mother's lucky.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Linda shifted the grocery back.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I told her if she needs anything while you're not here, she'll only ask to call.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The boys are both working days now, so I'm around.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan put a hand on Linda's arm.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You're too good to me.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Take some of these home for the boys.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I can't eat a whole tray.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They stood in the kitchen doorway, while Joan asked about the school play, and whether the younger grandson still wanted to be a veterinarian.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Linda said he did, and that the older one had decided on engineering after all.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan laughed and said she had always known that one had a practical head.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She asked whether the costumes were finished and whether Linda's daughter-in-law was still working nights.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Linda answered each question.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan listened with her head tilted.
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[SPEAKER_00]: When Linda left, Joan walked her to the car and stood with her arms folded until it pulled away.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She lifted a hand once, Linda waved back.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan stayed on the walk until the car was out of sight.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter had the grocery bag emptied in the bread on the counter by the time she came back in.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She closed the door and turned the dead bolt without looking at it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The lock clicked.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had already moved the half and half to the top shelf where she kept it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had not told him where it went.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She means well, Joan said, they all do, it's nice having people who check.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He rinsed the coffee cups that had been left in the sink, the water ran warm.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan dried her hands on the towel that hung from the oven handle and watched him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You always were jealous of anybody I paid attention to.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Even when you were little, if I so much as spoke to the neighbor children, you had to come stand in the doorway and stare until I noticed you.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The cup in his hand was still wet along the rim.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He said it on the rack and reached for the towel before she could ask.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He dried the second cup and checked the inside with his thumb.
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[SPEAKER_00]: No spots?
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[SPEAKER_00]: He put it away.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I don't remember that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Of course you don't, you were too busy being hurt.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She took the towel from him anyway, and ran it once more around the rim of the saucer he had already dried.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It's embarrassing, Peter, a man your age still keeping score.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He dried the remaining saucer and put both away.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She hung the towel back on the handle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They ate the cardamom buns at the table.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan cut hers in half and put one half back in the bag for later.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter finished his.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Outside, a leaf blower started up two houses down and ran for a long time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan talked about the church raffle and the woman who had donated a quilt that was not as well made as the one she herself had entered the year before.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She described the stitching.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She asked whether his apartment still had the problem with the heat and whether he had spoken to the landlord.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He said the landlord had sent someone and that the someone had not fixed it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said he should have called her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She knew a man who did that kind of work for a reasonable rate.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The man lived in saltwater cove and drove over when she asked.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter said he would think about it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan said he always said that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He nodded.
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[SPEAKER_00]: After the dishes were washed, she went into the living room and turned on the television.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The sound came through the open doorway as a low, steady murmur.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stood at the sink and looked at the floor.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The boards ran the length of the room, darker between the seams where the finish had worn.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had used to line his toy cars up along the pale street when she was on the phone.
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[SPEAKER_00]: the cars had been metal.
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[SPEAKER_00]: One of them still had a chip of blue paint under the refrigerator that she had never quite reached with the broom.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had stopped lining them up after she told him the noise bothered her.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had put the cars in a box under his bed and left them there until he outgrew them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Something moved under the boards.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Not a sound, exactly, uh, shift.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The way a floor will sometimes answer when wait is taken off it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed still and listened.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The television kept talking.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan laughed at something the host said.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He waited until the laugh ended before he dried his hands.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He went into the living room.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had her feet up on the ottoman and the remote in her lap.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The light from the window fell across the arm of the chair and made the fabric look newer than it was.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I thought I heard something in the kitchen?
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[SPEAKER_00]: He said.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The house settles.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
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[SPEAKER_00]: It always has.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You used to think it was mice.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I don't remember mice.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She changed the channel.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Sit down if you're going to stand there, you're blocking the light.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He sat on the couch.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The cushion gave under him in the place it always had.
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[SPEAKER_00]: On the television, a woman was showing how to frost a cake so the seams did not show.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan watched with her hands folded.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Every so often she made a small sound of a greement or disapproval.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The woman on the television held up a spatula.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Jones said the frosting looked too sweet.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He did not answer.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Later, after she had gone to bed, he stayed in the kitchen with the lights off and the refrigerator humming.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The street outside was quiet.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A car passed and its headlights moved across the ceiling and down the far wall.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He put his palm flat on the floor between the table and the sink.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The wood was cool.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He held it there until his wrist began to ache, then took his hand away.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing answered.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The pale streak ran under his fingers and continued toward the refrigerator.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He traced it once with his thumb and stopped.
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[SPEAKER_00]: In the morning, Joan was already dressed when he came downstairs.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had made oatmeal and set out the brown sugar in the small glass dish she used for company.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They ate without much talk.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She asked whether he had slept and he said he had.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said the spare room was always colder than the rest of the house and then he should have taken the extra blanket from the hall closet.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He said he had been warm enough, she said he never admitted when he was cold.
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[SPEAKER_00]: After breakfast, she put on her coat and said she was walking over to linders to return the foil pan.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She would be half an hour.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter said he would stay and look at the leak under the bathroom sink she had mentioned on the phone last week.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She told him the wrench was in the bottom drawer and not to force anything.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She buttoned the code and checked her pockets for the key.
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[SPEAKER_00]: At the door, she turned and looked at the sink as if she expected to see the wrench already in his hand.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Then she left.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The door closed.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He stood in the kitchen until the sound of her shoes on the walk faded.
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[SPEAKER_00]: upstairs he opened the cabinet under the sink.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The pipe was dry.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He tightened the slip nut a quarter turn and wiped the trap with a paper towel.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The towel came away clean.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He sat on the edge of the tub for a while and listened to the house.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The furnace clicked on.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Somewhere a board creaked and then was still.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Downstairs he stood in the kitchen again.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The light through the window over the sink was bright.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He could see the mums and beyond them the street.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A boy on a bicycle went past without looking at the house.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter crouched and put his ear close to the floor near the pale street in the grain.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed there long enough that his knees hurt.
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[SPEAKER_00]: There was only the sound of his own breathing and far off the boy's bicycle ticking as he coaxed it.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The wood gave nothing back.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed there until his knees hurt more, then stood and washed his hands even though they were clean.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan came back without the pan.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had a small paper bag of cookies linda had insisted she take.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She set them on the counter and washed her hands.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The cookies smelled of cinnamon.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Linda says her grandson's play is next Thursday.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I told her I'd try to go if my hip is enacting up.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You could come if you're still here.
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[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be back in Hartford.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Of course she will.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She tried her hands.
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[SPEAKER_00]: You always have somewhere to be.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They spent the afternoon in separate rooms.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Joan worked on a crossword at the dining table.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter answered email on his phone in the living room, and then when the battery was low, plugged it in and opened the book the woman at his office had given him on Thursday.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The cover was creased at the corner.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had said she liked the middle better than the end, and that he could keep it if he wanted.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had said he would bring it back.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had looked at him for a second longer than the conversation required, then nodded and gone back to her desk.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had started at that night in the apartment and read two chapters before he fell asleep.
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[SPEAKER_00]: In the living room, he read another chapter and a half.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The sentences did not stay with him.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Every so often he looked up and saw Jones head bent over the puzzle.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Her pencil moved.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She did not ask him for help with any of the clues.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Once she made a small sound and erased something, the eraser left a gray smear on the paper.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He watched the smear and then went back to the page.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had already decided he would not finish the book before Monday.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The woman at the office had asked when she handed it to him, whether he read much.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had said he did.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She had not asked what.
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[SPEAKER_00]: A week earlier, she had left a note on his desk asking if he wanted to get coffee after work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had written back that he had plans.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He had not had plans.
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[SPEAKER_00]: At five, she put the ham in a pan with a little water and set it on low.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She peeled potatoes at the sink.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter offered to do them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She said she had already started and that he could set the table if he wanted to be useful.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He set the table.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He put the forks on the left without waiting to be told, she glanced at the place setting and said nothing about the forks, the knives faced the wrong way after that.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She did not mention the knives.
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[SPEAKER_00]: He noticed the knives and left them.
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[SPEAKER_00]: They ate in the kitchen.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The ham was salty.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The potatoes were the way she had always made them with too much butter and not enough salt.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She talked about a woman from church whose daughter was getting divorced, and how the daughter had not even tried to make the marriage work.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter said he didn't know the daughter, Joan said that was not the point.
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[SPEAKER_00]: She cut her meat into small pieces and ate them one at a time.
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[SPEAKER_00]: The radio was off, outside a dog barked twice and stopped.
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[SPEAKER_00]: After the dishes, she went upstairs to watch her program on the small television in her room.
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[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stayed downstairs.
17:26.534 --> 17:28.875
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the pan and wiped the counters.
17:29.715 --> 17:35.297
[SPEAKER_00]: When the kitchen was clean, he turned off the overhead light and stood with his hand on the switch.
17:36.257 --> 17:38.438
[SPEAKER_00]: The boards under his feet were quiet.
17:39.698 --> 17:40.279
[SPEAKER_00]: he waited.
17:41.219 --> 17:42.080
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing moved.
17:43.201 --> 17:46.204
[SPEAKER_00]: He turned the light back on and off again.
17:47.125 --> 17:48.125
[SPEAKER_00]: The switch clicked.
17:48.686 --> 17:49.547
[SPEAKER_00]: He left it off.
17:51.849 --> 17:55.592
[SPEAKER_00]: He went up to the spare room and lay on the bed with his clothes on.
17:56.800 --> 18:01.404
[SPEAKER_00]: The ceiling had a water stain in one corner that had been there since he was in high school.
18:02.225 --> 18:04.767
[SPEAKER_00]: He had used to stare at it when he could not sleep.
18:05.427 --> 18:06.969
[SPEAKER_00]: The shape of it was the same.
18:08.190 --> 18:12.634
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed his eyes and listened to the low sound of the television through the wall.
18:13.674 --> 18:15.036
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan laughed once.
18:15.856 --> 18:17.478
[SPEAKER_00]: After that the house was still.
18:18.715 --> 18:26.142
[SPEAKER_00]: He thought about the woman at the office and the way she had held the book out to him with the cover facing him so he could see the title.
18:27.043 --> 18:29.686
[SPEAKER_00]: He had not looked at the title until he was in the car.
18:30.827 --> 18:33.009
[SPEAKER_00]: He had read three and a half chapters now.
18:33.710 --> 18:36.833
[SPEAKER_00]: He still did not know whether he would tell her he liked the middle.
18:37.934 --> 18:41.897
[SPEAKER_00]: In the fourth grade, he had been in a play about a boy who found a dog.
18:42.714 --> 18:43.934
[SPEAKER_00]: He had one line.
18:44.635 --> 18:48.756
[SPEAKER_00]: He had practiced it in his room until the words felt ordinary in his mouth.
18:49.536 --> 18:56.839
[SPEAKER_00]: On the night of the performance, Joan had said her hip was bothering her and that she would hear about it from the other mothers.
18:57.919 --> 18:59.860
[SPEAKER_00]: He had said the line anyway.
19:01.060 --> 19:07.042
[SPEAKER_00]: Afterward, he had put the costume in the back of the closet and the program in the box with the toy cars.
19:08.002 --> 19:10.203
[SPEAKER_00]: He had not asked her about the next one.
19:10.997 --> 19:14.920
[SPEAKER_00]: By the sixth grade, he had stopped telling her the dates at all.
19:15.701 --> 19:18.383
[SPEAKER_00]: He wrote his bike to the school and wrote it home.
19:19.224 --> 19:25.149
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept the programs in the same box until the box was full, and then he stopped keeping them.
19:27.130 --> 19:28.171
[SPEAKER_00]: He must have slept.
19:28.912 --> 19:32.615
[SPEAKER_00]: When he opened his eyes, the room was dark, and the television was off.
19:33.696 --> 19:36.098
[SPEAKER_00]: Something was crying under the floor.
19:38.216 --> 19:42.297
[SPEAKER_00]: the sound came up through the boards and the carpet and the mattress.
19:43.117 --> 19:51.498
[SPEAKER_00]: It was small and steady, the way a child cries when it has been crying for a long time and no longer expects anyone to come.
19:52.519 --> 19:54.319
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter lay without moving.
19:55.059 --> 19:56.759
[SPEAKER_00]: The crying did not stop.
19:57.500 --> 20:04.801
[SPEAKER_00]: It did not grow louder, it simply continued, muffled, as if the mouth that made it were pressed against something.
20:05.981 --> 20:11.245
[SPEAKER_00]: He counted the seconds between one breath and the next, the count did not help.
20:12.946 --> 20:15.748
[SPEAKER_00]: He sat up, the crying went on.
20:16.729 --> 20:20.091
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his feet on the floor and the sound did not change.
20:20.992 --> 20:23.514
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood and walked to the top of the stairs.
20:24.414 --> 20:28.838
[SPEAKER_00]: The house was dark, except for the small light Joan left on in the hall.
20:29.873 --> 20:30.573
[SPEAKER_00]: he went down.
20:31.494 --> 20:34.015
[SPEAKER_00]: At the bottom, he stopped and listened.
20:34.915 --> 20:41.078
[SPEAKER_00]: The crying was clearer now, it came from the kitchen, his hand found the banister.
20:41.939 --> 20:44.660
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood was smooth from years of hands.
20:46.381 --> 20:47.901
[SPEAKER_00]: He crossed the living room.
20:48.842 --> 20:51.443
[SPEAKER_00]: The floorboards under the carpet did not complain.
20:52.422 --> 20:55.763
[SPEAKER_00]: In the kitchen doorway, he stood with one hand on the frame.
20:57.044 --> 21:00.865
[SPEAKER_00]: The sound was under the pale streak near the refrigerator.
21:01.826 --> 21:05.047
[SPEAKER_00]: It rose and fell a little the way breathing does.
21:06.027 --> 21:06.748
[SPEAKER_00]: He crouched.
21:07.657 --> 21:10.898
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood was cool against his palm when he set it down.
21:12.018 --> 21:13.518
[SPEAKER_00]: The crying continued.
21:14.418 --> 21:19.239
[SPEAKER_00]: He could feel very faintly a vibration that was not quite sound.
21:20.319 --> 21:22.400
[SPEAKER_00]: His knees pressed into the boards.
21:23.260 --> 21:28.521
[SPEAKER_00]: The vibration moved against the heel of his hand and stopped and moved again.
21:29.581 --> 21:30.441
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed there.
21:31.241 --> 21:32.842
[SPEAKER_00]: The crying did not stop.
21:36.060 --> 21:38.762
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan stood in the hall doorway in her robe.
21:39.662 --> 21:41.684
[SPEAKER_00]: Her hair was flat on one side.
21:42.244 --> 21:43.705
[SPEAKER_00]: She did not turn on the light.
21:44.746 --> 21:48.068
[SPEAKER_00]: The robe was the same one she had worn when he was in college.
21:48.689 --> 21:49.809
[SPEAKER_00]: The belt hung loose.
21:51.130 --> 21:52.651
[SPEAKER_00]: What are you doing on the floor?
21:53.932 --> 21:54.933
[SPEAKER_00]: I heard something.
21:55.993 --> 21:58.235
[SPEAKER_00]: You heard the house, she said.
21:59.036 --> 21:59.836
[SPEAKER_00]: Go back to bed.
22:01.517 --> 22:02.998
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed where he was.
22:06.506 --> 22:09.047
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan looked at the place where his hand rested.
22:09.847 --> 22:11.247
[SPEAKER_00]: Her face was in shadow.
22:12.107 --> 22:14.568
[SPEAKER_00]: After a moment, she smiled.
22:15.248 --> 22:18.449
[SPEAKER_00]: The smile was small, it did not reach her eyes.
22:19.509 --> 22:22.370
[SPEAKER_00]: She turned, and went back up the stairs.
22:23.030 --> 22:24.650
[SPEAKER_00]: Her footsteps were even.
22:25.430 --> 22:27.071
[SPEAKER_00]: The bedroom door closed.
22:28.151 --> 22:34.012
[SPEAKER_00]: The crying under his hand continued for another minute, and then thinned, until he could no
22:38.238 --> 22:44.384
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter remained on the floor until his legs cramped, when he stood, his knees cracked.
22:45.205 --> 22:47.046
[SPEAKER_00]: He went upstairs and laid down.
22:48.187 --> 22:49.529
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not sleep again.
22:50.369 --> 22:54.413
[SPEAKER_00]: The water stain on the ceiling was visible now that his eyes had adjusted.
22:55.354 --> 22:58.577
[SPEAKER_00]: He watched it until the gray light came in around the shade.
23:00.405 --> 23:03.507
[SPEAKER_00]: In the morning, Joan was in the kitchen when he came down.
23:04.208 --> 23:06.690
[SPEAKER_00]: She had made toast and was buttering a slice.
23:07.230 --> 23:08.931
[SPEAKER_00]: The radio was on low.
23:09.772 --> 23:11.453
[SPEAKER_00]: She did not look at him when he entered.
23:11.894 --> 23:14.175
[SPEAKER_00]: The butter knife moved in short strokes.
23:15.496 --> 23:16.277
[SPEAKER_00]: You were up late?
23:16.957 --> 23:17.458
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
23:18.819 --> 23:20.140
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought I heard crying.
23:21.181 --> 23:23.122
[SPEAKER_00]: You always did have an imagination.
23:24.103 --> 23:25.444
[SPEAKER_00]: She said the butter knife down.
23:26.825 --> 23:28.266
[SPEAKER_00]: Eat something, your pale.
23:29.538 --> 23:31.841
[SPEAKER_00]: He poured coffee and stood at the counter.
23:32.621 --> 23:34.784
[SPEAKER_00]: The floor under his feet was ordinary.
23:35.244 --> 23:39.429
[SPEAKER_00]: Sun came through the window and lay across the boards in a clean rectangle.
23:40.230 --> 23:41.611
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan ate her toast.
23:42.312 --> 23:45.195
[SPEAKER_00]: She asked whether he wanted eggs, he said no.
23:46.136 --> 23:47.338
[SPEAKER_00]: She said he should eat more.
23:47.758 --> 23:49.760
[SPEAKER_00]: He had always been thin when he was worried.
23:50.598 --> 23:54.080
[SPEAKER_00]: The toast crust left a small pile of crumbs on her plate.
23:54.780 --> 23:57.522
[SPEAKER_00]: She brushed them into her palm and dropped them in the sink.
23:58.342 --> 24:02.285
[SPEAKER_00]: He had already moved his own plate to the sink before she finished speaking.
24:04.026 --> 24:07.768
[SPEAKER_00]: After breakfast, she went out to the garden to cut the spent mums.
24:08.644 --> 24:16.147
[SPEAKER_00]: She tied on the apron she kept on the hook by the back door before she picked up the shears, Peter watched her from the window.
24:17.007 --> 24:19.908
[SPEAKER_00]: She moved carefully, the shears were sharp.
24:20.648 --> 24:24.669
[SPEAKER_00]: She dropped the dead heads into a bucket and did not look back at the house.
24:25.470 --> 24:27.330
[SPEAKER_00]: The bucket filled slowly.
24:28.331 --> 24:32.532
[SPEAKER_00]: A car passed on the street, Joan did not turn her head.
24:33.737 --> 24:38.346
[SPEAKER_00]: A neighbor across the way came out with a rake and waved, Joan waved back.
24:39.167 --> 24:42.033
[SPEAKER_00]: She stayed in the garden until the bucket was full.
24:43.738 --> 24:49.161
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened the drawer where she kept the tools and took out the flat pry bar she used for the screens.
24:49.881 --> 24:51.402
[SPEAKER_00]: It was short and cold.
24:52.303 --> 24:57.346
[SPEAKER_00]: He knelt by the pale streak and worked the tip of the bar into the seam between two boards.
24:58.146 --> 24:59.127
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood resisted.
24:59.947 --> 25:02.889
[SPEAKER_00]: He levered gently, an ale creaked.
25:03.809 --> 25:04.930
[SPEAKER_00]: He stopped and listened.
25:05.490 --> 25:06.951
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan was still outside.
25:07.791 --> 25:10.093
[SPEAKER_00]: He worked the bar farther in and lifted.
25:10.733 --> 25:12.474
[SPEAKER_00]: The board rose a quarter inch.
25:13.215 --> 25:16.558
[SPEAKER_00]: The nail pulled free with a sound like a thread breaking.
25:17.498 --> 25:19.860
[SPEAKER_00]: Dust rose in the light from the window.
25:20.581 --> 25:21.762
[SPEAKER_00]: He set the board aside.
25:22.542 --> 25:25.385
[SPEAKER_00]: The space underneath was dark and narrow.
25:26.185 --> 25:28.507
[SPEAKER_00]: The joists ran parallel to the wall.
25:28.967 --> 25:32.210
[SPEAKER_00]: Between them, the dark was not empty.
25:33.815 --> 25:35.476
[SPEAKER_00]: something pale moved.
25:36.557 --> 25:37.857
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter leaned closer.
25:38.538 --> 25:41.380
[SPEAKER_00]: The smell that came up was warm and close.
25:42.060 --> 25:47.443
[SPEAKER_00]: The smell of skin that has not been washed and of milk that has gone only a little sour.
25:48.344 --> 25:50.845
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing under the floor was small.
25:51.606 --> 25:53.747
[SPEAKER_00]: It had drawn itself against the joist.
25:54.307 --> 25:56.289
[SPEAKER_00]: Its hands were pressed to its face.
25:57.129 --> 26:03.853
[SPEAKER_00]: When it lowered them, he saw that the face was a child's face, streaked and swollen.
26:04.694 --> 26:07.455
[SPEAKER_00]: The eyes found him, the mouth opened.
26:08.376 --> 26:12.999
[SPEAKER_00]: The cry that came out was the same cry he had heard in the night only nearer.
26:13.819 --> 26:20.123
[SPEAKER_00]: The sound filled the narrow space and rose against the underside of the boards he had not yet lifted.
26:21.855 --> 26:26.677
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his hand down into the space, the thing reached for it.
26:27.497 --> 26:30.718
[SPEAKER_00]: Its fingers were cold and slightly sticky.
26:31.378 --> 26:34.339
[SPEAKER_00]: They closed around his wrist with surprising strength.
26:35.059 --> 26:36.180
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not pull away.
26:37.100 --> 26:40.101
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing made a sound that was not quite a word.
26:41.042 --> 26:46.904
[SPEAKER_00]: Its head turned against his palm, the way a child's head will turn when it's looking for a place to rest.
26:47.865 --> 26:51.326
[SPEAKER_00]: The hair against his skin was fine and damp.
26:52.207 --> 26:54.488
[SPEAKER_00]: He felt the small ridge of an ear.
26:55.288 --> 27:01.452
[SPEAKER_00]: The grip on his wrist tightened and loosened and tightened again, he stayed kneeling.
27:02.293 --> 27:05.895
[SPEAKER_00]: The light from the window did not reach the bottom of the space.
27:06.816 --> 27:09.517
[SPEAKER_00]: His shoulder began to ache from the angle.
27:10.058 --> 27:10.838
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed there.
27:11.639 --> 27:14.380
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's breath moved against his wrist.
27:15.061 --> 27:16.722
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not take his hand away.
27:18.263 --> 27:20.985
[SPEAKER_00]: Jones shadow fell across the floor.
27:22.025 --> 27:22.725
[SPEAKER_00]: Put it back."
27:23.545 --> 27:24.025
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
27:25.206 --> 27:25.926
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked up.
27:26.986 --> 27:30.967
[SPEAKER_00]: She stood in the doorway with the bucket in one hand and the shears in the other.
27:31.707 --> 27:33.487
[SPEAKER_00]: Dirt clung to the blades.
27:34.187 --> 27:36.488
[SPEAKER_00]: The apron was still tied at her waist.
27:37.468 --> 27:41.929
[SPEAKER_00]: Her expression was the one she used when he had left a towel on the bathroom floor.
27:42.689 --> 27:44.969
[SPEAKER_00]: The bucket dripped once onto the mat.
27:50.993 --> 27:53.174
[SPEAKER_00]: Put the board back, you're letting the heat out.
27:54.896 --> 27:57.497
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing under the floor tightened its grip.
27:58.318 --> 28:00.920
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter felt the small bones in its fingers.
28:01.640 --> 28:02.701
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at his mother.
28:03.501 --> 28:06.564
[SPEAKER_00]: She was watching his hand where it disappeared into the dark.
28:07.524 --> 28:10.466
[SPEAKER_00]: A dead mum head had stuck to the side of the bucket.
28:10.947 --> 28:12.247
[SPEAKER_00]: She did not brush it off.
28:14.029 --> 28:15.850
[SPEAKER_00]: You knew he said.
28:16.842 --> 28:20.566
[SPEAKER_00]: Of course I knew, she wiped her hands on the apron.
28:21.407 --> 28:30.976
[SPEAKER_00]: It was always there, you were the one who kept feeding it, every time you wanted something I didn't have to give, every time you stood in the doorway and waited.
28:31.617 --> 28:34.259
[SPEAKER_00]: I told you to put it away, you never listened.
28:35.761 --> 28:37.703
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing made another sound.
28:38.483 --> 28:40.605
[SPEAKER_00]: It's breath moved against his wrist.
28:41.388 --> 28:44.350
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers shifted and found the cuff of his shirt.
28:45.090 --> 28:45.850
[SPEAKER_00]: They held there.
28:46.531 --> 28:48.992
[SPEAKER_00]: He felt the pressure of each small joint.
28:50.953 --> 28:52.774
[SPEAKER_00]: It sounds like me?
28:53.614 --> 28:56.296
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter said, it is you.
28:57.276 --> 28:59.177
[SPEAKER_00]: Jones voiced it not rise.
29:00.258 --> 29:02.179
[SPEAKER_00]: The part that wouldn't stop asking.
29:03.059 --> 29:05.200
[SPEAKER_00]: I kept it because I knew you'd want it someday.
29:05.440 --> 29:07.261
[SPEAKER_00]: You were always so greedy for it.
29:08.882 --> 29:10.163
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed kneeling.
29:11.240 --> 29:13.781
[SPEAKER_00]: The pry bar lay on the floor beside his knee.
29:14.562 --> 29:16.743
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan looked at it, then at him.
29:17.624 --> 29:19.585
[SPEAKER_00]: The shears hung from her other hand.
29:20.085 --> 29:22.507
[SPEAKER_00]: A drop of sap had dried on one blade.
29:23.607 --> 29:24.928
[SPEAKER_00]: Put the board back, Peter.
29:26.397 --> 29:27.818
[SPEAKER_00]: His free hand moved.
29:28.499 --> 29:29.579
[SPEAKER_00]: He picked up the board.
29:30.320 --> 29:34.163
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's fingers slid down his wrist and caught at his sleeve.
29:34.943 --> 29:35.804
[SPEAKER_00]: He shook them off.
29:36.365 --> 29:37.205
[SPEAKER_00]: They came back.
29:38.226 --> 29:41.348
[SPEAKER_00]: He set the edge of the board into the seam and pressed.
29:41.909 --> 29:44.531
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's hand flattened under the wood.
29:45.311 --> 29:48.594
[SPEAKER_00]: He felt the small resistance and then the give.
29:49.499 --> 29:53.301
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers moved once more against the underside and stopped.
29:54.102 --> 29:57.124
[SPEAKER_00]: He reached into the open drawer and took out the hammer.
29:57.924 --> 29:59.785
[SPEAKER_00]: The first nail went in crooked.
30:00.286 --> 30:02.267
[SPEAKER_00]: He pulled it and set another.
30:02.947 --> 30:05.409
[SPEAKER_00]: The sound of the hammer was loud in the kitchen.
30:06.249 --> 30:08.731
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan watched until the board was flush.
30:09.531 --> 30:12.453
[SPEAKER_00]: Then she picked up the bucket and went back outside.
30:13.073 --> 30:14.794
[SPEAKER_00]: The door closed behind her.
30:15.255 --> 30:16.475
[SPEAKER_00]: The lock did not turn.
30:21.035 --> 30:22.861
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter remained on his knees.
30:23.884 --> 30:26.412
[SPEAKER_00]: His sleeve was damp where the fingers had been.
30:26.973 --> 30:28.538
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his palm on the board.
30:29.577 --> 30:36.562
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood was warm, under it very faintly, something shifted, and then was still.
30:37.403 --> 30:40.665
[SPEAKER_00]: He counted to twenty, nothing else moved.
30:41.826 --> 30:43.807
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood, his legs shook.
30:44.788 --> 30:47.970
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed his hands at the sink and dried them on the towel.
30:48.631 --> 30:51.073
[SPEAKER_00]: The water spots he left did not matter.
30:51.855 --> 30:54.357
[SPEAKER_00]: The smear on the cuff had darkened at the edge.
30:55.118 --> 30:59.581
[SPEAKER_00]: He rolled the sleeve once, and then again, so the mark was covered.
31:01.403 --> 31:04.685
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan came in a few minutes later and rinsed the shears.
31:05.846 --> 31:06.927
[SPEAKER_00]: She did not speak.
31:07.668 --> 31:11.451
[SPEAKER_00]: She put the oatmeal pot in the dishwasher and wiped the counter.
31:11.971 --> 31:14.073
[SPEAKER_00]: When she was finished, she turned to him.
31:15.254 --> 31:16.495
[SPEAKER_00]: You'll want to change your shirt.
31:17.196 --> 31:17.636
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
31:21.319 --> 31:21.819
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked.
31:22.780 --> 31:26.763
[SPEAKER_00]: The cuff was marked with a thin smear the color of weak tea.
31:27.684 --> 31:28.905
[SPEAKER_00]: He had already rolled it.
31:29.766 --> 31:32.047
[SPEAKER_00]: She saw the roll and said nothing else.
31:32.968 --> 31:35.610
[SPEAKER_00]: She opened the refrigerator and took out the butter.
31:36.191 --> 31:37.111
[SPEAKER_00]: The door closed.
31:37.732 --> 31:38.953
[SPEAKER_00]: The compressor started.
31:39.793 --> 31:42.175
[SPEAKER_00]: He went upstairs and changed the shirt.
31:42.936 --> 31:44.817
[SPEAKER_00]: He put the marked one in his bag.
31:45.398 --> 31:47.039
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not look at the cuff again.
31:48.957 --> 31:51.720
[SPEAKER_00]: They spent the rest of the morning as if nothing had happened.
31:52.682 --> 31:56.286
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan made a list for the grocery store, Peter drove her.
31:57.007 --> 32:00.071
[SPEAKER_00]: At Malarys, she chose apples and a small roast.
32:00.932 --> 32:05.777
[SPEAKER_00]: She spoke to the woman at the meat counter about the best way to cook it so it would not dry out.
32:06.763 --> 32:11.087
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman answered kindly and wrote the temperature on a piece of butcher paper.
32:11.828 --> 32:15.531
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan thanked her and told Peter to remember what had been said.
32:16.252 --> 32:19.655
[SPEAKER_00]: She asked the woman whether the new produce manager was settling in.
32:20.215 --> 32:21.436
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman said he was.
32:22.157 --> 32:23.418
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan said that was good.
32:24.259 --> 32:28.142
[SPEAKER_00]: She asked after the woman's mother who had been in the hospital in the spring.
32:28.803 --> 32:30.985
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman said her mother was home now.
32:31.685 --> 32:33.147
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan said she was glad.
32:34.152 --> 32:39.237
[SPEAKER_00]: In the car on the way back, she asked whether he had heard from the woman at his office about the book.
32:40.358 --> 32:42.080
[SPEAKER_00]: He said he had read some of it.
32:42.760 --> 32:45.023
[SPEAKER_00]: She said he never finished things he started.
32:46.024 --> 32:48.526
[SPEAKER_00]: The roast sat in the bag between his feet.
32:49.307 --> 32:52.230
[SPEAKER_00]: The paper had begun to soften where the meat touched it.
32:53.051 --> 32:57.435
[SPEAKER_00]: He had already decided he would not tell the woman at the office what he thought of the middle.
32:59.251 --> 33:04.014
[SPEAKER_00]: At the house, she put the groceries away and told him to take the trash to the curb.
33:04.534 --> 33:04.874
[SPEAKER_00]: He did.
33:05.835 --> 33:07.496
[SPEAKER_00]: The bin was heavier than it looked.
33:08.096 --> 33:11.538
[SPEAKER_00]: When he came back, she was sitting at the table with a cup of tea.
33:12.339 --> 33:14.460
[SPEAKER_00]: The floor between them was quiet.
33:15.380 --> 33:17.642
[SPEAKER_00]: She had set a second cup out for him.
33:18.202 --> 33:19.363
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not pour any.
33:21.164 --> 33:22.284
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm leaving in the morning.
33:22.905 --> 33:23.365
[SPEAKER_00]: He said.
33:24.626 --> 33:24.946
[SPEAKER_00]: I know.
33:29.732 --> 33:30.733
[SPEAKER_00]: You always do?
33:32.635 --> 33:36.238
[SPEAKER_00]: He went upstairs, and packed the few things he had brought.
33:37.319 --> 33:40.422
[SPEAKER_00]: The spare room looked the same as it had when he arrived.
33:41.383 --> 33:46.107
[SPEAKER_00]: He sat on the edge of the bed and listened, nothing moved under the floor.
33:47.128 --> 33:51.673
[SPEAKER_00]: After a while he laid down and closed his eyes, he did not sleep.
33:52.729 --> 33:59.394
[SPEAKER_00]: He thought about the apartment in Hartford, and the radiator that still knocked in a woman at the office who had lent him the book.
34:00.315 --> 34:01.897
[SPEAKER_00]: She had said the middle was better.
34:02.677 --> 34:05.840
[SPEAKER_00]: He had read far enough to reach what he thought was the middle.
34:06.821 --> 34:09.743
[SPEAKER_00]: He still did not know what he would say if she asked.
34:10.664 --> 34:14.587
[SPEAKER_00]: Downstairs, Joan moved from the kitchen to the living room.
34:15.127 --> 34:16.609
[SPEAKER_00]: The television came on.
34:17.689 --> 34:19.131
[SPEAKER_00]: He heard her laugh once.
34:19.992 --> 34:23.876
[SPEAKER_00]: the sound traveled up through the house and stopped at the ceiling.
34:25.818 --> 34:28.841
[SPEAKER_00]: In the night, the crying started again.
34:29.602 --> 34:31.043
[SPEAKER_00]: It was softer than before.
34:32.004 --> 34:34.667
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter lay still and let it continue.
34:35.147 --> 34:36.608
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not go downstairs.
34:37.549 --> 34:41.653
[SPEAKER_00]: When it faded, he turned onto his side and faced the wall.
34:42.374 --> 34:44.615
[SPEAKER_00]: the water stain was there in the dark.
34:45.615 --> 34:47.935
[SPEAKER_00]: He could not see it, he knew its shape.
34:48.916 --> 34:52.897
[SPEAKER_00]: His wrist under the rolled cuff of the clean shirt felt nothing.
34:53.757 --> 34:57.898
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept his hand closed until his fingers cramped and then opened them again.
35:00.158 --> 35:01.859
[SPEAKER_00]: Morning came gray.
35:02.619 --> 35:06.740
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan had coffee ready, she did not ask whether he had slept.
35:07.610 --> 35:12.134
[SPEAKER_00]: He carried his bag to the car and came back for the jacket he had left on the chair.
35:12.955 --> 35:17.019
[SPEAKER_00]: She stood in the kitchen doorway with her hands in the pockets of her cardigan.
35:17.739 --> 35:19.761
[SPEAKER_00]: The cardigan was buttoned to the throat.
35:21.283 --> 35:23.344
[SPEAKER_00]: Drive carefully, she said.
35:24.345 --> 35:26.487
[SPEAKER_00]: The highways always worse on Mondays.
35:27.889 --> 35:28.189
[SPEAKER_00]: I will.
35:29.705 --> 35:31.706
[SPEAKER_00]: he looked pastor at the floor.
35:32.687 --> 35:35.728
[SPEAKER_00]: The board he had nailed down sat flush with the others.
35:36.609 --> 35:39.951
[SPEAKER_00]: The pale streak in the grain ran across it and continued.
35:40.931 --> 35:42.312
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan followed his look.
35:43.613 --> 35:44.193
[SPEAKER_00]: It'll keep.
35:44.933 --> 35:45.414
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
35:46.434 --> 35:47.415
[SPEAKER_00]: It always has.
35:49.092 --> 35:49.712
[SPEAKER_00]: he nodded.
35:50.853 --> 35:53.914
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not kiss her, she did not offer her cheek.
35:55.135 --> 35:59.716
[SPEAKER_00]: At the car he sat for a moment with the door open and the key in his hand.
36:00.537 --> 36:02.157
[SPEAKER_00]: The mums were still bright.
36:03.118 --> 36:08.020
[SPEAKER_00]: A neighbor he did not know walked a dog past the end of the driveway and lifted a hand.
36:08.960 --> 36:10.661
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter lifted his in return.
36:11.321 --> 36:13.442
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the door and started the engine.
36:13.982 --> 36:15.443
[SPEAKER_00]: The radio stayed off.
36:17.172 --> 36:18.232
[SPEAKER_00]: The car backed out.
36:19.012 --> 36:24.314
[SPEAKER_00]: In the kitchen window, Jones stood with one hand raised, not quite a wave.
36:25.074 --> 36:30.215
[SPEAKER_00]: She watched until he reached the corner, then she turned and went back inside.
36:30.875 --> 36:33.496
[SPEAKER_00]: The door closed, the lock turned.
36:34.436 --> 36:38.937
[SPEAKER_00]: He saw the light in the kitchen go off and then the light in the living room come on.
36:41.010 --> 36:44.693
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter drove to the end of the street and stopped at the sign.
36:45.434 --> 36:47.336
[SPEAKER_00]: His hands were steady on the wheel.
36:48.036 --> 36:51.740
[SPEAKER_00]: Under the cuff of his shirt, the skin of his wrist was unmarked.
36:52.761 --> 36:56.924
[SPEAKER_00]: He waited for a car to pass, then turned toward the highway.
36:57.445 --> 36:58.786
[SPEAKER_00]: The house was behind him.
36:59.347 --> 37:00.668
[SPEAKER_00]: The street was ordinary.
37:01.208 --> 37:05.272
[SPEAKER_00]: The leaves that had fallen overnight lay in the gutters and did not move.
37:07.442 --> 37:19.566
[SPEAKER_00]: He had gone less than a mile when he felt it, a pressure at the base of his throat, small and precise as if something had said its fingers there and was holding on.
37:20.487 --> 37:30.370
[SPEAKER_00]: He swallowed, the pressure remained, it did not tighten, it simply stayed the way a hand stays when it has decided not to let go.
37:32.311 --> 37:33.311
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept driving.
37:34.017 --> 37:36.918
[SPEAKER_00]: The radio was off, the road ahead was clear.
37:37.618 --> 37:42.939
[SPEAKER_00]: In the rear view mirror, the town receded until the last of the houses dropped out of sight.
37:43.959 --> 37:46.460
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat did not change.
37:47.080 --> 37:49.961
[SPEAKER_00]: He lifted one hand from the wheel and touched the place.
37:51.041 --> 37:52.441
[SPEAKER_00]: The skin was warm.
37:53.342 --> 37:55.862
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing was there that he could feel with his fingers.
37:56.743 --> 37:58.543
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his hand back on the wheel.
38:00.089 --> 38:02.691
[SPEAKER_00]: The highway entrance was a quarter mile ahead.
38:03.332 --> 38:05.113
[SPEAKER_00]: He signaled and moved into the lane.
38:05.834 --> 38:12.960
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure shifted very slightly as if whatever held him had adjusted its grip to the motion of the car.
38:13.861 --> 38:16.704
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not slow down, he did not speed up.
38:17.605 --> 38:21.248
[SPEAKER_00]: He drove at the limit and watched the mirror until the town was gone.
38:22.246 --> 38:24.748
[SPEAKER_00]: The book was in the bag on the passenger seat.
38:25.228 --> 38:27.130
[SPEAKER_00]: He had read three and a half chapters.
38:28.071 --> 38:30.373
[SPEAKER_00]: He had not decided whether he would finish it.
38:32.414 --> 38:35.137
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, the radiator was knocking again.
38:35.997 --> 38:39.140
[SPEAKER_00]: He said his bag down and stood in the kitchen with the light off.
38:39.948 --> 38:43.890
[SPEAKER_00]: The floor under his feet was linoleum, it did not give.
38:44.931 --> 38:47.492
[SPEAKER_00]: He ran water into a glass and drank it.
38:48.112 --> 38:50.394
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was still there.
38:50.954 --> 38:58.058
[SPEAKER_00]: When he swallowed, he felt the small resistance and then the give, the same as he had felt under the board.
38:59.498 --> 39:00.599
[SPEAKER_00]: He sat at the table.
39:01.319 --> 39:02.920
[SPEAKER_00]: The book was still in his bag.
39:03.581 --> 39:05.502
[SPEAKER_00]: He took it out and set it on the counter.
39:06.102 --> 39:07.743
[SPEAKER_00]: The creased cover faced him.
39:10.687 --> 39:12.668
[SPEAKER_00]: Outside, the light changed.
39:13.308 --> 39:15.289
[SPEAKER_00]: The knocking in the radiator continued.
39:16.370 --> 39:19.131
[SPEAKER_00]: His wrist where the cuff had been rolled was clean.
39:20.032 --> 39:23.653
[SPEAKER_00]: He turned his hand over and looked at the place the fingers had closed.
39:24.214 --> 39:25.674
[SPEAKER_00]: The skin showed nothing.
39:26.695 --> 39:29.036
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed his hand and opened it again.
39:29.816 --> 39:33.738
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat answered, faint and steady.
39:35.279 --> 39:36.860
[SPEAKER_00]: The radiator kept knocking.
39:37.742 --> 39:43.488
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter sat at the table until the light outside went from gray to the flat color of early evening.
39:44.489 --> 39:48.454
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood once to turn on the lamp over the sink, then sat again.
39:49.134 --> 39:50.656
[SPEAKER_00]: The book stayed on the counter.
39:50.976 --> 39:51.817
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't open it.
39:52.878 --> 39:57.283
[SPEAKER_00]: When the knocking stopped for a few minutes, he listened to the apartment instead.
39:58.084 --> 39:59.265
[SPEAKER_00]: The building was quiet.
40:00.262 --> 40:04.524
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone too floors up, ran water, a door closed in the hall.
40:05.305 --> 40:08.526
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat didn't change with any of it.
40:10.167 --> 40:13.529
[SPEAKER_00]: He made a sandwich he didn't finish and left the plate in the sink.
40:14.289 --> 40:18.992
[SPEAKER_00]: In the bathroom he washed his face and looked at his wrist under the rolled cuff.
40:19.652 --> 40:21.233
[SPEAKER_00]: The skin was unmarked.
40:22.333 --> 40:26.956
[SPEAKER_00]: He unrolled the sleeve, rolled it again, and went to bed with the light on.
40:27.496 --> 40:28.797
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure stayed.
40:29.657 --> 40:31.619
[SPEAKER_00]: It didn't tighten when he swallowed.
40:32.219 --> 40:34.601
[SPEAKER_00]: It didn't ease when he lay on his side.
40:35.482 --> 40:40.625
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept his hand closed under the pillow until his fingers cramped, then opened them.
40:41.286 --> 40:42.647
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure answered.
40:44.708 --> 40:48.150
[SPEAKER_00]: In the morning, he drove to the office with the radio off.
40:48.791 --> 40:50.192
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure rode with him.
40:51.052 --> 40:54.975
[SPEAKER_00]: At his desk, he answered three emails and deleted two.
40:55.795 --> 41:02.220
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman who'd given him the book stopped at the edge of his cubicle with a coffee in one hand and a folder in the other.
41:02.740 --> 41:04.061
[SPEAKER_00]: Her name was Elaine.
41:05.001 --> 41:07.203
[SPEAKER_00]: She set the folder on the corner of his desk.
41:08.504 --> 41:09.164
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you finish it?
41:09.805 --> 41:10.265
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
41:11.478 --> 41:12.018
[SPEAKER_00]: not yet.
41:13.239 --> 41:16.821
[SPEAKER_00]: I like the part where he keeps the letters even after he knows he won't send them.
41:17.982 --> 41:20.083
[SPEAKER_00]: She shifted the coffee to her other hand.
41:21.224 --> 41:22.445
[SPEAKER_00]: You can keep it if you want.
41:22.685 --> 41:23.846
[SPEAKER_00]: I have another copy at home.
41:25.146 --> 41:25.967
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll bring it back.
41:27.557 --> 41:28.178
[SPEAKER_00]: she nodded.
41:28.898 --> 41:31.320
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't ask why he hadn't finished.
41:32.201 --> 41:33.462
[SPEAKER_00]: She went back to her desk.
41:34.262 --> 41:35.503
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter opened the folder.
41:36.184 --> 41:39.967
[SPEAKER_00]: The pages inside were a draft of a schedule for the next quarter.
41:40.767 --> 41:44.510
[SPEAKER_00]: He read the first page twice and didn't retain the dates.
41:45.411 --> 41:51.196
[SPEAKER_00]: At lunch he walked to the park to blocks over and sat on a bench with a sandwich he'd packed.
41:52.096 --> 41:55.339
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was the same outdoors as it had
41:57.257 --> 42:06.423
[SPEAKER_00]: a woman with a stroller past, two men argued about a parking space, Peter 8 half the sandwich and put the rest back in the bag.
42:08.084 --> 42:10.746
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine found him at the copier in the afternoon.
42:11.527 --> 42:12.728
[SPEAKER_00]: She had another folder.
42:13.788 --> 42:15.249
[SPEAKER_00]: These need to go out by four.
42:15.950 --> 42:16.430
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
42:17.311 --> 42:19.092
[SPEAKER_00]: I can take them if you're in the middle of something.
42:20.173 --> 42:20.553
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm not.
42:21.675 --> 42:22.955
[SPEAKER_00]: she handed him the folder.
42:23.476 --> 42:24.976
[SPEAKER_00]: Their fingers didn't touch.
42:25.976 --> 42:28.297
[SPEAKER_00]: She stayed while he fed the page through.
42:29.098 --> 42:30.338
[SPEAKER_00]: The machine hummed.
42:31.218 --> 42:33.719
[SPEAKER_00]: She watched the copies come out and didn't speak.
42:34.219 --> 42:39.521
[SPEAKER_00]: When the last page finished, she took the stack and square the edges against the top of the machine.
42:40.821 --> 42:43.042
[SPEAKER_00]: You looked tired, she said.
42:44.203 --> 42:45.443
[SPEAKER_00]: I drove back yesterday.
42:46.403 --> 42:47.144
[SPEAKER_00]: From your mother's?
42:48.104 --> 42:48.324
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes,
42:49.721 --> 42:50.622
[SPEAKER_00]: she nodded again.
42:51.462 --> 42:53.604
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't ask how the visit had gone.
42:54.464 --> 42:56.066
[SPEAKER_00]: She took the copies and left.
42:56.906 --> 43:01.469
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stood at the copy until the next person arrived with the box of envelopes.
43:02.370 --> 43:06.293
[SPEAKER_00]: He went back to his desk and sat with his hands flat on the keyboard.
43:07.073 --> 43:09.275
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure didn't move when he typed.
43:11.008 --> 43:12.148
[SPEAKER_00]: He left at 5.30.
43:12.428 --> 43:14.289
[SPEAKER_00]: The highway was slow.
43:15.169 --> 43:19.751
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he stood in the kitchen with a light off and the books still on the counter.
43:20.531 --> 43:23.332
[SPEAKER_00]: He picked it up and opened it to the place he'd left.
43:23.992 --> 43:25.372
[SPEAKER_00]: He read two pages.
43:26.333 --> 43:27.913
[SPEAKER_00]: The sentences didn't stay.
43:28.773 --> 43:31.094
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the book and set it down.
43:31.894 --> 43:34.815
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat answered when he swallowed.
43:36.396 --> 43:37.716
[SPEAKER_00]: He called Joan at
43:42.253 --> 43:44.274
[SPEAKER_00]: I got in fine, he said.
43:45.534 --> 43:47.055
[SPEAKER_00]: I know, he always do.
43:48.155 --> 43:49.475
[SPEAKER_00]: She was watching something.
43:50.076 --> 43:51.376
[SPEAKER_00]: He could hear the television.
43:52.857 --> 43:54.677
[SPEAKER_00]: Linda stopped by this afternoon.
43:55.157 --> 43:56.498
[SPEAKER_00]: She brought the rest of the cookies.
43:56.918 --> 43:57.958
[SPEAKER_00]: She asked after you.
43:59.239 --> 44:00.379
[SPEAKER_00]: Tell her I said hello.
44:01.679 --> 44:02.020
[SPEAKER_00]: I will.
44:02.860 --> 44:03.840
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan paused.
44:05.381 --> 44:06.801
[SPEAKER_00]: The heat is still acting up.
44:08.042 --> 44:08.942
[SPEAKER_00]: Same as before.
44:10.040 --> 44:11.321
[SPEAKER_00]: You should call that man.
44:11.841 --> 44:13.202
[SPEAKER_00]: I have his number if you want it.
44:14.242 --> 44:15.103
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll think about it.
44:16.083 --> 44:17.504
[SPEAKER_00]: You always say that.
44:18.605 --> 44:20.246
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't sound angry.
44:21.506 --> 44:22.747
[SPEAKER_00]: Drive carefully tomorrow.
44:23.788 --> 44:24.128
[SPEAKER_00]: I will.
44:25.588 --> 44:26.309
[SPEAKER_00]: He hung up.
44:26.989 --> 44:28.190
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure stayed.
44:29.331 --> 44:32.832
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the plate from the morning and dried it and put it away.
44:33.633 --> 44:35.974
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the sink with his hands on the edge
44:39.534 --> 44:41.236
[SPEAKER_00]: The apartment was quiet again.
44:42.197 --> 44:43.958
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to bed with the light on.
44:45.019 --> 44:48.923
[SPEAKER_00]: In the night, he woke once and put his hand to his throat.
44:49.784 --> 44:51.065
[SPEAKER_00]: The skin was warm.
44:51.665 --> 44:53.867
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing was there that his fingers could feel.
44:54.828 --> 44:56.049
[SPEAKER_00]: He took his hand away.
44:56.590 --> 44:57.731
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure remained.
44:59.476 --> 45:03.359
[SPEAKER_00]: The next day, Elaine left a note on his desk while he was in a meeting.
45:04.079 --> 45:09.723
[SPEAKER_00]: It said the scheduled draft needed one more number and that she'd put the file on the shared drive.
45:10.484 --> 45:12.725
[SPEAKER_00]: She'd signed it with her first name only.
45:13.706 --> 45:16.288
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter opened the file and added the number.
45:16.828 --> 45:17.929
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't write back.
45:18.710 --> 45:21.572
[SPEAKER_00]: At the end of the day, she stopped that his cubicle again.
45:22.663 --> 45:23.464
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you get the note?
45:24.404 --> 45:24.684
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
45:25.785 --> 45:26.566
[SPEAKER_00]: I wasn't sure.
45:26.846 --> 45:27.546
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't say.
45:28.707 --> 45:29.508
[SPEAKER_00]: I added the number.
45:30.649 --> 45:30.909
[SPEAKER_00]: Good.
45:31.969 --> 45:34.271
[SPEAKER_00]: She shifted her bag higher on her shoulder.
45:35.572 --> 45:36.633
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going for coffee.
45:37.313 --> 45:39.515
[SPEAKER_00]: There's a place to block sover that stays open.
45:40.055 --> 45:42.197
[SPEAKER_00]: You can come if you want or not?
45:43.758 --> 45:44.918
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the screen.
45:45.819 --> 45:47.300
[SPEAKER_00]: The schedule was still open.
45:47.840 --> 45:49.862
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat didn't change.
45:51.542 --> 45:53.483
[SPEAKER_00]: I have plans," he said.
45:54.844 --> 45:55.204
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
45:56.385 --> 45:58.286
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't ask what the plans were.
45:59.106 --> 45:59.647
[SPEAKER_00]: She left.
46:00.387 --> 46:02.528
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter sat until the office emptied.
46:03.329 --> 46:05.490
[SPEAKER_00]: He drove home with the radio off.
46:06.391 --> 46:10.433
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he made eggs and ate them standing at the counter.
46:11.053 --> 46:12.634
[SPEAKER_00]: The book was still closed.
46:13.395 --> 46:14.235
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't open it.
46:14.755 --> 46:16.036
[SPEAKER_00]: He called, no one.
46:16.797 --> 46:19.038
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure answered when he swallowed.
46:20.884 --> 46:23.605
[SPEAKER_00]: On Friday, he saw Elaine in the break room.
46:24.025 --> 46:25.225
[SPEAKER_00]: She was rinsing a mug.
46:26.145 --> 46:30.266
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the refrigerator with the door open and didn't take anything out.
46:31.386 --> 46:33.527
[SPEAKER_00]: I finished the middle, he said.
46:34.587 --> 46:35.767
[SPEAKER_00]: She turned off the water.
46:36.588 --> 46:37.208
[SPEAKER_00]: What did you think?
46:38.648 --> 46:39.288
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know yet.
46:40.509 --> 46:41.069
[SPEAKER_00]: That's fine.
46:41.969 --> 46:43.989
[SPEAKER_00]: She dried the mug with a paper towel.
46:45.070 --> 46:46.750
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of it doesn't land until later.
46:48.091 --> 46:49.572
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the refrigerator.
46:50.532 --> 46:52.233
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't offer the coffee again.
46:52.914 --> 46:54.335
[SPEAKER_00]: She took the mug and left.
46:55.035 --> 46:58.737
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stayed in the break room until the microwave beeped for someone else.
46:59.778 --> 47:01.059
[SPEAKER_00]: He went back to his desk.
47:02.079 --> 47:04.221
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was steady.
47:05.041 --> 47:07.883
[SPEAKER_00]: He worked until five and left with the book in his bag.
47:08.583 --> 47:10.904
[SPEAKER_00]: He hadn't opened it since the night he came back.
47:12.425 --> 47:16.628
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he set the bag on the table and stood with his hand on the strap.
47:17.650 --> 47:21.273
[SPEAKER_00]: He took the book out and opened it to the page he'd marked with a receipt.
47:22.333 --> 47:24.835
[SPEAKER_00]: He read until the light outside changed.
47:25.456 --> 47:28.518
[SPEAKER_00]: The sentences stayed longer than they had before.
47:29.619 --> 47:32.801
[SPEAKER_00]: When he closed the book, the pressure at his throat answered.
47:33.541 --> 47:35.643
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his hand flat on the cover.
47:36.283 --> 47:37.444
[SPEAKER_00]: The paper was cool.
47:38.265 --> 47:41.287
[SPEAKER_00]: He left his hand there until the knocking started again.
47:43.134 --> 47:44.495
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't call Joan.
47:45.336 --> 47:48.079
[SPEAKER_00]: He ate the rest of the eggs cold from the pan.
47:48.920 --> 47:51.383
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the pan and left it in the rack.
47:52.184 --> 47:55.287
[SPEAKER_00]: In the bathroom, he looked at his wrist under the light.
47:55.888 --> 47:57.690
[SPEAKER_00]: The skin was still unmarked.
47:58.625 --> 48:01.088
[SPEAKER_00]: He rolled the sleeve down and went to bed.
48:01.549 --> 48:02.730
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure stayed.
48:03.491 --> 48:06.895
[SPEAKER_00]: In the dark, he opened his hand and closed it.
48:07.756 --> 48:10.560
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure answered, faint and steady.
48:11.120 --> 48:15.125
[SPEAKER_00]: The same as it had when he first sat down at the table three days ago.
48:16.209 --> 48:18.970
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know whether it would still be there in the morning.
48:19.750 --> 48:21.711
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know what he'd do if it was.
48:22.652 --> 48:32.335
[SPEAKER_00]: He lay with his eyes open and listen to the radiator and the building and the small sound of his own breathing until the light under the shade began to change.
48:34.396 --> 48:37.337
[SPEAKER_00]: On Saturday, he slept later than usual.
48:37.938 --> 48:39.478
[SPEAKER_00]: The radiator was quiet.
48:40.519 --> 48:43.500
[SPEAKER_00]: He made coffee and stood at the counter with the book open.
48:44.360 --> 48:48.643
[SPEAKER_00]: He read until the light moved across the floor and the coffee went cold.
48:49.603 --> 48:55.187
[SPEAKER_00]: He had finished the middle the night before, the section with the letters was longer than he'd expected.
48:56.267 --> 48:58.649
[SPEAKER_00]: A man kept letters he wouldn't send.
48:59.449 --> 49:01.230
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter read the pages twice.
49:02.171 --> 49:07.755
[SPEAKER_00]: When he closed the book, the pressure at his throat was still there, faint and steady.
49:08.415 --> 49:09.876
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't put his hand to it.
49:15.288 --> 49:18.931
[SPEAKER_00]: He drove to the hardware store for a washer he didn't need.
49:19.752 --> 49:22.894
[SPEAKER_00]: The man behind the counter asked if he wanted the cheaper pack.
49:23.835 --> 49:24.996
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter said yes.
49:26.157 --> 49:30.701
[SPEAKER_00]: In the car, he sat with the bag on the passenger seat and didn't start the engine.
49:31.481 --> 49:33.443
[SPEAKER_00]: The parking lot was half full.
49:34.687 --> 49:37.770
[SPEAKER_00]: a woman loaded plants into the back of a station wagon.
49:38.510 --> 49:41.473
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter watched her arrange the pots so they wouldn't tip.
49:42.554 --> 49:44.856
[SPEAKER_00]: She closed the hatch and drove away.
49:45.556 --> 49:47.278
[SPEAKER_00]: He started the car and went home.
49:49.219 --> 49:54.224
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he set the washer on the table and didn't open the package.
49:54.964 --> 49:59.728
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened the book again and read to the end of the section he'd started the night before.
50:00.722 --> 50:08.124
[SPEAKER_00]: The man in the book burned one of the letters and kept the rest, Peter closed the book and left it on the table.
50:08.944 --> 50:11.405
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the window until the light changed.
50:12.425 --> 50:13.666
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure stayed.
50:14.086 --> 50:15.526
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't touch his throat.
50:17.387 --> 50:19.707
[SPEAKER_00]: On Sunday he walked to the park.
50:20.387 --> 50:22.648
[SPEAKER_00]: The bench he'd used at lunch was empty.
50:23.488 --> 50:26.549
[SPEAKER_00]: He sat and watched a man throw a ball for a dog.
50:27.169 --> 50:29.270
[SPEAKER_00]: The dog brought it back every time.
50:30.264 --> 50:34.047
[SPEAKER_00]: The man said something Peter couldn't hear, the dog sat.
50:35.308 --> 50:37.689
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stayed until his hands were cold.
50:38.350 --> 50:40.211
[SPEAKER_00]: He walked home the long way.
50:41.072 --> 50:46.956
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he heated soup and ate it at the table with the book closed beside the bowl.
50:47.496 --> 50:48.297
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't open it.
50:49.357 --> 50:51.499
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the bowl and left it in the rack.
50:52.279 --> 50:54.581
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure answered when he swallowed.
51:00.570 --> 51:04.232
[SPEAKER_00]: Monday Elaine stopped that is cubicle before the first meeting.
51:04.893 --> 51:06.914
[SPEAKER_00]: She had the schedule folder again.
51:08.275 --> 51:10.176
[SPEAKER_00]: I looked at the numbers, she said.
51:11.036 --> 51:11.477
[SPEAKER_00]: They work.
51:12.657 --> 51:12.918
[SPEAKER_00]: Good.
51:14.018 --> 51:15.299
[SPEAKER_00]: She said the folder down.
51:16.400 --> 51:17.360
[SPEAKER_00]: Did you finish the middle?
51:18.341 --> 51:18.581
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
51:19.742 --> 51:20.842
[SPEAKER_00]: What did you think of the letters?
51:22.403 --> 51:23.604
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the folder.
51:24.184 --> 51:25.325
[SPEAKER_00]: The corner was bent.
51:27.126 --> 51:30.148
[SPEAKER_00]: He keeps them because he already knows what they say.
51:31.718 --> 51:33.679
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine was quiet for a moment.
51:35.481 --> 51:37.062
[SPEAKER_00]: That's one way to read it.
51:38.402 --> 51:39.203
[SPEAKER_00]: Is there another?
51:40.664 --> 51:44.046
[SPEAKER_00]: He keeps them because he likes the idea that he could still send them.
51:45.127 --> 51:46.308
[SPEAKER_00]: She picked up the folder.
51:47.408 --> 51:48.329
[SPEAKER_00]: Either way works.
51:49.950 --> 51:50.510
[SPEAKER_00]: She left.
51:51.669 --> 51:53.951
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter sat with his hands on the keyboard.
51:55.012 --> 51:57.173
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat didn't move.
51:58.194 --> 52:02.337
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened the shared drive and looked at the schedule without changing anything.
52:03.018 --> 52:06.461
[SPEAKER_00]: At lunch, he walked to the park and sat on the same bench.
52:07.121 --> 52:08.943
[SPEAKER_00]: The man with the dog wasn't there.
52:09.964 --> 52:13.847
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter ate the sandwich he'd packed and stayed until the light shifted.
52:14.407 --> 52:15.568
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't check the time.
52:17.292 --> 52:21.455
[SPEAKER_00]: In the afternoon, Elaine passed his cubicle with two cups.
52:22.176 --> 52:24.318
[SPEAKER_00]: She set one on the corner of his desk.
52:25.819 --> 52:26.960
[SPEAKER_00]: They had the kind you get.
52:27.580 --> 52:29.582
[SPEAKER_00]: She said, I was already there.
52:30.903 --> 52:31.903
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the cup.
52:32.764 --> 52:34.045
[SPEAKER_00]: The lid was still on.
52:35.446 --> 52:35.947
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
52:37.168 --> 52:38.749
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to drink it?
52:39.990 --> 52:40.270
[SPEAKER_00]: I know.
52:41.932 --> 52:43.833
[SPEAKER_00]: she nodded and went back to her desk.
52:44.413 --> 52:46.614
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter left the cup where it was.
52:47.614 --> 52:49.695
[SPEAKER_00]: He worked until the coffee was cold.
52:50.476 --> 52:52.957
[SPEAKER_00]: He took the lid off and drank half of it.
52:53.757 --> 52:56.338
[SPEAKER_00]: The rest he poured into the sink in the break room.
52:57.038 --> 52:59.519
[SPEAKER_00]: He rinsed the cup and left it in the rack.
53:00.420 --> 53:03.121
[SPEAKER_00]: When he passed Elaine's desk, she was on the phone.
53:03.981 --> 53:05.682
[SPEAKER_00]: She lifted a hand without looking up.
53:06.322 --> 53:08.423
[SPEAKER_00]: He lifted his in return and kept
53:10.445 --> 53:12.628
[SPEAKER_00]: He drove home with the radio off.
53:13.609 --> 53:17.573
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he said his bag on the table and took the book out.
53:18.494 --> 53:22.018
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened it to the next section and read two pages.
53:22.935 --> 53:24.095
[SPEAKER_00]: The sentences stayed.
53:24.856 --> 53:25.876
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the book.
53:26.756 --> 53:29.317
[SPEAKER_00]: He made eggs and ate them sitting down.
53:30.037 --> 53:32.358
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the pan and left it in the rack.
53:33.198 --> 53:36.279
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the window until the street lights came on.
53:37.100 --> 53:38.400
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't call Joan.
53:39.361 --> 53:41.941
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to bed with the kitchen lights still on.
53:43.642 --> 53:45.242
[SPEAKER_00]: The phone rang at eight.
53:46.063 --> 53:48.123
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter was at the table with the book open.
53:48.724 --> 53:49.404
[SPEAKER_00]: He answered on
53:53.074 --> 53:53.855
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan said.
53:54.595 --> 53:55.496
[SPEAKER_00]: The one in the kitchen?
53:55.896 --> 53:57.097
[SPEAKER_00]: It's lifting at the corner.
53:57.337 --> 53:58.739
[SPEAKER_00]: You didn't set the nails right.
54:00.260 --> 54:01.281
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the book.
54:02.141 --> 54:04.823
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was there when he swallowed.
54:06.665 --> 54:07.326
[SPEAKER_00]: Which board?
54:08.286 --> 54:09.387
[SPEAKER_00]: You know which one.
54:09.567 --> 54:10.468
[SPEAKER_00]: The pale streak.
54:11.109 --> 54:12.129
[SPEAKER_00]: I can see the edge.
54:12.310 --> 54:13.651
[SPEAKER_00]: It's letting cold air in.
54:13.671 --> 54:16.473
[SPEAKER_00]: I want you to come down and fix it properly.
54:18.060 --> 54:19.600
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the closed book.
54:20.581 --> 54:23.221
[SPEAKER_00]: He had read the section with the burned letter twice.
54:25.301 --> 54:27.442
[SPEAKER_00]: I just got back, he said.
54:28.842 --> 54:30.262
[SPEAKER_00]: I know you always do.
54:30.542 --> 54:31.663
[SPEAKER_00]: This won't take long.
54:32.283 --> 54:34.723
[SPEAKER_00]: You can drive down Saturday and be home Sunday.
54:35.063 --> 54:36.184
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll make the oak meal.
54:37.664 --> 54:39.224
[SPEAKER_00]: The radiator knocked once.
54:40.304 --> 54:43.065
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his hand flat on the table beside the book.
54:44.722 --> 54:46.703
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan, don't start!
54:47.044 --> 54:48.044
[SPEAKER_00]: You left it loose!
54:48.745 --> 54:51.687
[SPEAKER_00]: I shouldn't have to call a man for something you were supposed to finish.
54:53.068 --> 54:53.768
[SPEAKER_00]: She paused.
54:54.649 --> 54:56.450
[SPEAKER_00]: The television was on behind her.
54:58.031 --> 54:59.632
[SPEAKER_00]: Linda asked after you again.
54:59.652 --> 55:01.113
[SPEAKER_00]: I told her you were busy.
55:02.694 --> 55:03.555
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't answer.
55:04.235 --> 55:05.296
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure stayed.
55:06.156 --> 55:07.537
[SPEAKER_00]: He could hear her breathing.
55:09.138 --> 55:10.219
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll come Saturday.
55:10.860 --> 55:11.360
[SPEAKER_00]: He said.
55:12.664 --> 55:15.127
[SPEAKER_00]: Good, bring the half-and-half if you're stopping.
55:15.708 --> 55:17.951
[SPEAKER_00]: The store brands still taste like cardboard.
55:19.313 --> 55:19.894
[SPEAKER_00]: She hung up.
55:21.276 --> 55:22.738
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter set the phone down.
55:23.838 --> 55:26.439
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the book, he didn't open it again.
55:27.280 --> 55:35.724
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood and walked to the window, the street lights were on, a car passed and its headlights moved across the ceiling.
55:36.664 --> 55:42.667
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his hand to his throat, the skin was warm, nothing was there that his fingers could feel.
55:43.547 --> 55:44.688
[SPEAKER_00]: He took his hand away.
55:46.451 --> 55:50.054
[SPEAKER_00]: He sat at the table until the light under the shade changed.
55:50.735 --> 55:51.836
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't call her back.
55:52.497 --> 55:53.598
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't open the book.
55:54.558 --> 55:57.621
[SPEAKER_00]: In the morning, he drove to the office with the radio off.
55:58.542 --> 56:01.284
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine left a note on his desk about the schedule.
56:01.985 --> 56:04.908
[SPEAKER_00]: He added the number she needed and didn't write back.
56:05.769 --> 56:08.891
[SPEAKER_00]: At lunch, he walked to the park and sat on the bench.
56:09.632 --> 56:11.193
[SPEAKER_00]: The man with the dog was there.
56:12.101 --> 56:14.503
[SPEAKER_00]: the dog brought the ball back every time.
56:15.443 --> 56:17.965
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stayed until his hands were cold.
56:18.725 --> 56:20.006
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't check the time.
56:21.507 --> 56:24.489
[SPEAKER_00]: In the afternoon, he stopped at a lane's desk.
56:25.089 --> 56:25.990
[SPEAKER_00]: She was on the phone.
56:26.770 --> 56:27.691
[SPEAKER_00]: She lifted a hand.
56:28.231 --> 56:29.772
[SPEAKER_00]: He waited until she finished.
56:31.253 --> 56:32.874
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to my mother's Saturday.
56:33.594 --> 56:34.035
[SPEAKER_00]: He said.
56:35.336 --> 56:35.676
[SPEAKER_00]: All right.
56:36.556 --> 56:37.517
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be back Sunday.
56:39.077 --> 56:39.758
[SPEAKER_00]: She nodded.
56:40.478 --> 56:41.699
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't ask why.
56:41.719 --> 56:46.582
[SPEAKER_00]: He went back to his cubicle and sat with his hands on the keyboard.
56:47.283 --> 56:49.384
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was steady.
56:50.485 --> 56:53.667
[SPEAKER_00]: He worked until five and left with the book in his back.
56:54.387 --> 56:56.609
[SPEAKER_00]: He hadn't opened it since the night she called.
56:58.405 --> 57:03.450
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he set the bag on the table and stood with his hand on the strap.
57:04.251 --> 57:07.594
[SPEAKER_00]: He took the book out and opened it to the page he'd left.
57:08.375 --> 57:11.518
[SPEAKER_00]: He read one paragraph and closed it.
57:12.539 --> 57:15.501
[SPEAKER_00]: He made eggs and ate them standing at the counter.
57:16.202 --> 57:18.604
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the pan and left it in the rack.
57:19.305 --> 57:22.208
[SPEAKER_00]: He packed a shirt and set the bag by the door.
57:22.908 --> 57:24.209
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't call, Joan.
57:25.050 --> 57:27.372
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to bed with the kitchen light on.
57:28.193 --> 57:30.475
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure answered when he swallowed.
57:31.416 --> 57:35.139
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept his hand open under the pillow until his fingers cramped.
57:36.100 --> 57:37.081
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't close it.
57:39.183 --> 57:42.025
[SPEAKER_00]: He put the half and half in the bag Saturday morning.
57:42.908 --> 57:45.209
[SPEAKER_00]: The carton was cold from the refrigerator.
57:46.029 --> 57:48.870
[SPEAKER_00]: He said it on top of the shirt and zipped the back.
57:49.730 --> 57:54.272
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was present when he swallowed, and steady when he didn't.
57:55.032 --> 57:56.773
[SPEAKER_00]: He drove with the radio off.
57:57.613 --> 57:58.813
[SPEAKER_00]: The highway was clear.
57:59.494 --> 58:02.074
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't stop at Condatory Oxenwarena.
58:03.895 --> 58:06.496
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan was on the front step when he pulled in.
58:07.096 --> 58:10.057
[SPEAKER_00]: She had the gray cardigan on, and the house shoes.
58:13.665 --> 58:14.786
[SPEAKER_00]: You made good time?"
58:15.606 --> 58:16.107
[SPEAKER_00]: she said.
58:17.247 --> 58:18.128
[SPEAKER_00]: Traffic was light.
58:19.349 --> 58:20.229
[SPEAKER_00]: She held the door.
58:21.090 --> 58:24.052
[SPEAKER_00]: The kitchen smelled of coffee and floor polish.
58:24.893 --> 58:27.955
[SPEAKER_00]: The pale streak was visible under the edge of the board.
58:28.795 --> 58:31.677
[SPEAKER_00]: The corner had lifted enough to show the dark beneath.
58:32.578 --> 58:35.420
[SPEAKER_00]: Jones stood with her hands in the pockets of the cartigan.
58:41.768 --> 58:43.389
[SPEAKER_00]: He set the bag on the counter.
58:44.069 --> 58:45.910
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't take the half and half out.
58:46.830 --> 58:48.251
[SPEAKER_00]: He crouched by the board.
58:48.931 --> 58:50.852
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood was cool under his palm.
58:51.733 --> 58:52.633
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing moved.
58:53.373 --> 58:54.294
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed there.
58:54.914 --> 58:55.894
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan watched.
58:57.395 --> 58:59.616
[SPEAKER_00]: The hammers in the drawer, she said.
59:00.276 --> 59:00.877
[SPEAKER_00]: Same place.
59:02.397 --> 59:02.998
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood.
59:04.111 --> 59:07.214
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened the drawer and took out the hammer and the pry bar.
59:08.095 --> 59:10.157
[SPEAKER_00]: He set them on the floor beside his knee.
59:10.938 --> 59:12.199
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan didn't move.
59:13.120 --> 59:15.262
[SPEAKER_00]: The television was on in the living room.
59:15.702 --> 59:17.584
[SPEAKER_00]: A woman was talking about frosting.
59:19.186 --> 59:20.547
[SPEAKER_00]: Put the board back, Peter.
59:22.108 --> 59:23.630
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the lifted corner.
59:24.583 --> 59:26.864
[SPEAKER_00]: The dark underneath was the same dark.
59:27.704 --> 59:29.184
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his hand on the board.
59:30.125 --> 59:31.565
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood gave a little.
59:32.305 --> 59:37.207
[SPEAKER_00]: He felt very faintly, the small resistance he'd felt before.
59:37.887 --> 59:38.747
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't press.
59:39.748 --> 59:40.788
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed kneeling.
59:41.208 --> 59:43.189
[SPEAKER_00]: His free hand rested on his thigh.
59:43.749 --> 59:44.949
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers were open.
59:46.550 --> 59:47.810
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan waited.
59:48.630 --> 59:50.311
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman on the television laughed.
59:50.951 --> 59:51.771
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan didn't.
59:54.868 --> 59:57.029
[SPEAKER_00]: He lifted the board the rest of the way.
59:57.830 --> 01:00:01.812
[SPEAKER_00]: The nail that had held the corner pulled free, dust rose.
01:00:02.833 --> 01:00:04.794
[SPEAKER_00]: The space underneath was narrow.
01:00:05.415 --> 01:00:08.356
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing was there, drawn against the joist.
01:00:09.457 --> 01:00:11.919
[SPEAKER_00]: Its hands weren't on its face this time.
01:00:12.519 --> 01:00:14.300
[SPEAKER_00]: One of them reached when it saw him.
01:00:15.121 --> 01:00:17.802
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers were cold and slightly sticky.
01:00:18.363 --> 01:00:19.964
[SPEAKER_00]: They closed around his wrist.
01:00:20.884 --> 01:00:21.825
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't pull away.
01:00:22.566 --> 01:00:28.971
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing made the small sound that wasn't quite a word, it's head turned against his palm.
01:00:30.753 --> 01:00:32.514
[SPEAKER_00]: Jones stood in the doorway.
01:00:33.415 --> 01:00:37.358
[SPEAKER_00]: She hadn't put the apron on, the shears weren't in her hand.
01:00:38.780 --> 01:00:40.701
[SPEAKER_00]: Put it back, she said.
01:00:41.422 --> 01:00:42.523
[SPEAKER_00]: You're letting the heat out!
01:00:44.284 --> 01:00:46.046
[SPEAKER_00]: The grip on his wrist tightened.
01:00:46.686 --> 01:00:48.568
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter felt the small bones.
01:00:49.509 --> 01:00:50.529
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at his mother.
01:00:51.399 --> 01:00:55.762
[SPEAKER_00]: Her expression was the one she used when he left a towel on the bathroom floor.
01:00:56.542 --> 01:00:57.903
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't reach for the hammer.
01:00:58.484 --> 01:01:00.325
[SPEAKER_00]: His hand stayed where it was.
01:01:01.385 --> 01:01:04.107
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's breath moved against his skin.
01:01:04.828 --> 01:01:06.048
[SPEAKER_00]: He counted the seconds.
01:01:06.569 --> 01:01:07.990
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't close his fingers.
01:01:09.651 --> 01:01:10.011
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter.
01:01:11.172 --> 01:01:12.332
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed kneeling.
01:01:13.053 --> 01:01:14.934
[SPEAKER_00]: The board rested against his knee.
01:01:15.575 --> 01:01:17.276
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's hand didn't let go.
01:01:18.793 --> 01:01:21.855
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan looked at the open space and then at him.
01:01:22.936 --> 01:01:23.896
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't smile.
01:01:24.597 --> 01:01:27.279
[SPEAKER_00]: She turned and went into the living room.
01:01:27.859 --> 01:01:29.500
[SPEAKER_00]: The television got louder.
01:01:30.381 --> 01:01:31.922
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter remained on the floor.
01:01:32.562 --> 01:01:34.544
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was steady.
01:01:35.024 --> 01:01:36.365
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't take his hand away.
01:01:37.065 --> 01:01:39.647
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's fingers shifted and held.
01:01:40.408 --> 01:01:40.948
[SPEAKER_00]: He let them.
01:01:42.263 --> 01:01:45.826
[SPEAKER_00]: The television stayed loud, Peter stayed kneeling.
01:01:46.486 --> 01:01:49.308
[SPEAKER_00]: The things fingers were cold against his wrist.
01:01:50.069 --> 01:01:52.330
[SPEAKER_00]: They didn't tighten further, they held.
01:01:53.151 --> 01:01:56.273
[SPEAKER_00]: He could feel the small ridge of bone under the skin.
01:01:56.934 --> 01:02:02.838
[SPEAKER_00]: The board rested against his knee, he didn't move it, dust settled on the back of his hand.
01:02:04.542 --> 01:02:06.162
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan didn't come back.
01:02:06.883 --> 01:02:09.443
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman on the television talked about seams.
01:02:10.344 --> 01:02:13.164
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter listened to the sound of the thing's breathing.
01:02:13.845 --> 01:02:15.585
[SPEAKER_00]: It was shallow and even.
01:02:16.545 --> 01:02:18.766
[SPEAKER_00]: He shifted his weight, his knee hurt.
01:02:19.566 --> 01:02:20.386
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't stand.
01:02:21.046 --> 01:02:23.167
[SPEAKER_00]: The grip on his wrist stayed the same.
01:02:24.957 --> 01:02:29.020
[SPEAKER_00]: He reached with his free hand and set the hammer farther away on the floor.
01:02:29.701 --> 01:02:31.142
[SPEAKER_00]: The metal scraped once.
01:02:31.882 --> 01:02:35.425
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's fingers moved at the sound and then settled.
01:02:36.125 --> 01:02:38.207
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter left the pry bar where it was.
01:02:39.107 --> 01:02:41.949
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his free hand on the edge of the open space.
01:02:42.590 --> 01:02:43.691
[SPEAKER_00]: The wood was cool.
01:02:44.531 --> 01:02:45.312
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed there.
01:02:45.912 --> 01:02:47.974
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat was steady.
01:02:48.574 --> 01:02:49.355
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't touch it.
01:02:50.779 --> 01:02:53.581
[SPEAKER_00]: The light from the window moved across the floor.
01:02:54.361 --> 01:02:57.003
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's head rested against his palm.
01:02:57.703 --> 01:03:00.044
[SPEAKER_00]: Its hair was fine and damp.
01:03:00.765 --> 01:03:01.745
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't stroke it.
01:03:02.145 --> 01:03:03.106
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't pull away.
01:03:04.146 --> 01:03:06.468
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan laughed once in the living room.
01:03:06.948 --> 01:03:08.029
[SPEAKER_00]: The laugh was short.
01:03:08.789 --> 01:03:10.950
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter counted the seconds after it ended.
01:03:11.731 --> 01:03:14.252
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing didn't make the small sound again.
01:03:14.972 --> 01:03:15.633
[SPEAKER_00]: It held on.
01:03:17.283 --> 01:03:19.064
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the lifted board.
01:03:19.665 --> 01:03:21.166
[SPEAKER_00]: The nail hole was clean.
01:03:22.067 --> 01:03:24.408
[SPEAKER_00]: He could set the board down without pressing.
01:03:24.969 --> 01:03:26.610
[SPEAKER_00]: He could leave the space open.
01:03:27.611 --> 01:03:30.212
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know what the thing would do if he stood.
01:03:31.033 --> 01:03:34.956
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know whether it would follow his hand or stay against the joist.
01:03:35.897 --> 01:03:36.957
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed kneeling.
01:03:37.718 --> 01:03:40.440
[SPEAKER_00]: His free hand remained on the edge of the boards.
01:03:41.180 --> 01:03:44.703
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers on the other hand stayed open inside the grip.
01:03:46.292 --> 01:03:49.753
[SPEAKER_00]: The television changed, a different voice started.
01:03:50.673 --> 01:03:55.135
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter listened to it and to the thing's breathing and to the refrigerator.
01:03:55.995 --> 01:03:58.016
[SPEAKER_00]: The grip on his wrist didn't loosen.
01:03:58.956 --> 01:04:03.057
[SPEAKER_00]: He shifted again, his knee hurt more, he didn't stand.
01:04:03.518 --> 01:04:04.798
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't reach for the hammer.
01:04:05.598 --> 01:04:10.020
[SPEAKER_00]: The board stayed against the knee, the thing's hand stayed where it was.
01:04:11.440 --> 01:04:13.322
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's fingers moved.
01:04:13.783 --> 01:04:19.248
[SPEAKER_00]: They slid higher on his wrist, past the cuff, and found the inside of his forearm.
01:04:20.009 --> 01:04:21.150
[SPEAKER_00]: The grip was light.
01:04:21.891 --> 01:04:23.152
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stayed still.
01:04:23.773 --> 01:04:25.495
[SPEAKER_00]: The television stayed loud.
01:04:25.975 --> 01:04:27.397
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan didn't come back.
01:04:28.968 --> 01:04:30.649
[SPEAKER_00]: the fingers climbed.
01:04:31.469 --> 01:04:34.150
[SPEAKER_00]: They were cold and slightly sticky.
01:04:34.810 --> 01:04:36.871
[SPEAKER_00]: They reached his elbow and paused.
01:04:37.691 --> 01:04:40.012
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing shifted against the joist.
01:04:40.692 --> 01:04:42.473
[SPEAKER_00]: Its head lifted from his palm.
01:04:43.133 --> 01:04:45.834
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter felt the fine hair brush his skin.
01:04:46.515 --> 01:04:47.875
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't pull his arm away.
01:04:48.395 --> 01:04:50.356
[SPEAKER_00]: The board stayed against his knee.
01:04:50.936 --> 01:04:52.937
[SPEAKER_00]: The hammer stayed where he'd set it.
01:04:54.875 --> 01:04:56.536
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing moved again.
01:04:57.516 --> 01:04:59.597
[SPEAKER_00]: Its other hand found his sleeve.
01:05:00.257 --> 01:05:02.938
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers worked under the fabric and held.
01:05:03.819 --> 01:05:06.280
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter's shoulder ached from the angle.
01:05:06.800 --> 01:05:07.800
[SPEAKER_00]: He shifted his weight.
01:05:08.340 --> 01:05:09.621
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing came with him.
01:05:10.581 --> 01:05:12.142
[SPEAKER_00]: Its weight was small.
01:05:13.323 --> 01:05:14.563
[SPEAKER_00]: It left the joist.
01:05:15.544 --> 01:05:19.727
[SPEAKER_00]: One hand stayed on his forearm, the other caught at his collar.
01:05:20.587 --> 01:05:21.928
[SPEAKER_00]: The fabric pulled.
01:05:22.649 --> 01:05:25.350
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter felt the cold fingers against his neck.
01:05:26.371 --> 01:05:29.773
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat answered once and then changed.
01:05:30.293 --> 01:05:31.174
[SPEAKER_00]: It moved higher.
01:05:32.823 --> 01:05:34.384
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't close his hand.
01:05:35.565 --> 01:05:37.407
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's head turned.
01:05:38.247 --> 01:05:40.169
[SPEAKER_00]: Its mouth was near his jaw.
01:05:40.910 --> 01:05:43.051
[SPEAKER_00]: The breath was warm and sour.
01:05:43.972 --> 01:05:45.373
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter opened his mouth.
01:05:46.194 --> 01:05:47.235
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know why.
01:05:48.112 --> 01:05:50.193
[SPEAKER_00]: The fingers found his lower lip.
01:05:50.853 --> 01:05:51.593
[SPEAKER_00]: They pressed.
01:05:52.634 --> 01:05:54.175
[SPEAKER_00]: One slipped inside.
01:05:54.615 --> 01:05:56.376
[SPEAKER_00]: It was cold against his tongue.
01:05:56.956 --> 01:05:57.596
[SPEAKER_00]: He gagged.
01:05:57.996 --> 01:05:59.277
[SPEAKER_00]: The sound was small.
01:05:59.817 --> 01:06:01.158
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing didn't stop.
01:06:01.938 --> 01:06:03.499
[SPEAKER_00]: Another finger followed.
01:06:04.339 --> 01:06:08.661
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure at his throat tightened and then eased as the shape moved.
01:06:10.361 --> 01:06:12.863
[SPEAKER_00]: Jones' voice came from the living room.
01:06:14.063 --> 01:06:16.044
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter, what are you doing in there?
01:06:17.610 --> 01:06:18.551
[SPEAKER_00]: he couldn't answer.
01:06:19.291 --> 01:06:22.033
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's hand was inside his mouth.
01:06:22.713 --> 01:06:26.036
[SPEAKER_00]: The finger's worked deeper, his jaw hurt.
01:06:26.796 --> 01:06:29.338
[SPEAKER_00]: He felt the small bones against his teeth.
01:06:30.338 --> 01:06:32.420
[SPEAKER_00]: The thing's head followed.
01:06:33.140 --> 01:06:47.620
[SPEAKER_00]: its hair brushed his chin, he gagged again, the shape pressed against the back of his throat, he couldn't breathe through his mouth, he breathed through his nose, the sound was wet, the thing kept moving.
01:06:49.162 --> 01:06:49.483
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter!
01:06:50.708 --> 01:06:52.429
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan's voice was closer.
01:06:53.190 --> 01:06:54.451
[SPEAKER_00]: She stood in the doorway.
01:06:55.012 --> 01:06:56.433
[SPEAKER_00]: He couldn't see her face.
01:06:57.293 --> 01:06:59.896
[SPEAKER_00]: The things shoulders were at his lips.
01:07:00.656 --> 01:07:03.479
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure in his throat was the shape itself.
01:07:04.359 --> 01:07:05.160
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't push.
01:07:05.861 --> 01:07:08.863
[SPEAKER_00]: His free hand stayed open on the edge of the boards.
01:07:09.804 --> 01:07:14.408
[SPEAKER_00]: The things legs kicked once against his chest and then were gone.
01:07:15.068 --> 01:07:20.490
[SPEAKER_00]: the last of its slid down, his throat closed around it and opened.
01:07:21.150 --> 01:07:21.810
[SPEAKER_00]: He coughed.
01:07:22.330 --> 01:07:23.151
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing came up.
01:07:24.591 --> 01:07:25.791
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan looked at him.
01:07:26.292 --> 01:07:27.792
[SPEAKER_00]: The television was still on.
01:07:28.312 --> 01:07:30.053
[SPEAKER_00]: She had her hands in the pockets of the
01:07:35.370 --> 01:07:40.915
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter put his hand to his mouth, his lips were wet, the pressure at his throat was gone.
01:07:41.816 --> 01:07:42.617
[SPEAKER_00]: He swallowed.
01:07:43.277 --> 01:07:44.539
[SPEAKER_00]: The motion was ordinary.
01:07:45.199 --> 01:07:46.200
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed kneeling.
01:07:46.721 --> 01:07:48.603
[SPEAKER_00]: The board rested against his knee.
01:07:49.183 --> 01:07:51.485
[SPEAKER_00]: The open space under the floor was empty.
01:07:52.346 --> 01:07:53.427
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan watched him.
01:07:54.048 --> 01:07:55.229
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't come closer.
01:07:55.969 --> 01:07:58.131
[SPEAKER_00]: She turned and went back to the living room.
01:07:58.832 --> 01:08:00.614
[SPEAKER_00]: The television got louder.
01:08:02.248 --> 01:08:08.977
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter remained on the floor, his throat was sore, he swallowed again, the soreness stayed.
01:08:09.618 --> 01:08:16.087
[SPEAKER_00]: He put his palm flat on the empty boards, the wood was cool, nothing moved underneath.
01:08:17.028 --> 01:08:18.991
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood, his legs shook.
01:08:19.912 --> 01:08:21.673
[SPEAKER_00]: he washed his hands at the sink.
01:08:22.333 --> 01:08:23.594
[SPEAKER_00]: The water ran clear.
01:08:24.214 --> 01:08:25.494
[SPEAKER_00]: He dried them on the towel.
01:08:26.235 --> 01:08:27.796
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't roll his sleeves.
01:08:28.656 --> 01:08:29.736
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at his wrist.
01:08:30.357 --> 01:08:31.637
[SPEAKER_00]: The skin was unmarked.
01:08:32.237 --> 01:08:35.039
[SPEAKER_00]: He left the hammer and the pry bar on the floor.
01:08:35.759 --> 01:08:37.720
[SPEAKER_00]: He left the board where it was.
01:08:39.687 --> 01:08:42.509
[SPEAKER_00]: In the living room, Jones sat with her feet up.
01:08:43.330 --> 01:08:45.512
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't look at him when he stood in the doorway.
01:08:46.373 --> 01:08:49.575
[SPEAKER_00]: The woman on the television was still talking about frosting.
01:08:50.596 --> 01:08:52.938
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter watched the side of her face.
01:08:54.039 --> 01:08:55.100
[SPEAKER_00]: She changed the channel.
01:08:55.760 --> 01:08:56.521
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't speak.
01:08:57.692 --> 01:09:00.673
[SPEAKER_00]: He went upstairs and lay on the bed in a spare room.
01:09:01.513 --> 01:09:03.414
[SPEAKER_00]: The water stain was on the ceiling.
01:09:03.974 --> 01:09:05.095
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed his eyes.
01:09:05.715 --> 01:09:07.515
[SPEAKER_00]: His throat hurt when he swallowed.
01:09:08.216 --> 01:09:10.536
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept his open hand on the blanket.
01:09:11.497 --> 01:09:12.597
[SPEAKER_00]: Nothing answered.
01:09:13.678 --> 01:09:15.598
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't know whether that was better.
01:09:17.079 --> 01:09:17.739
[SPEAKER_00]: He slept.
01:09:18.527 --> 01:09:21.251
[SPEAKER_00]: When he woke, the spare room was gray.
01:09:21.732 --> 01:09:23.835
[SPEAKER_00]: His throat was sore when he swallowed.
01:09:24.596 --> 01:09:26.199
[SPEAKER_00]: The soreness was ordinary.
01:09:26.960 --> 01:09:28.823
[SPEAKER_00]: He lay still and listened.
01:09:29.484 --> 01:09:30.745
[SPEAKER_00]: The house was quiet.
01:09:31.662 --> 01:09:33.503
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan was already downstairs.
01:09:33.983 --> 01:09:35.063
[SPEAKER_00]: He could hear the radio.
01:09:35.723 --> 01:09:37.524
[SPEAKER_00]: He got up and dressed.
01:09:38.104 --> 01:09:39.324
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't look at his wrist.
01:09:40.024 --> 01:09:43.805
[SPEAKER_00]: He packed the shirt he'd brought and left a half and half on the counter.
01:09:44.446 --> 01:09:46.166
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't put the board back.
01:09:47.006 --> 01:09:49.567
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't pick up the hammer or the pry bar.
01:09:51.287 --> 01:09:53.268
[SPEAKER_00]: Joan was at the table with coffee.
01:09:53.928 --> 01:09:55.749
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't ask whether he'd slept.
01:09:56.469 --> 01:09:57.989
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't look at the open floor.
01:09:58.670 --> 01:09:58.950
[SPEAKER_00]: He said
01:10:01.417 --> 01:10:02.017
[SPEAKER_00]: You're leaving!
01:10:02.738 --> 01:10:03.218
[SPEAKER_00]: She said.
01:10:04.419 --> 01:10:04.739
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
01:10:05.800 --> 01:10:06.921
[SPEAKER_00]: The board is still up.
01:10:08.042 --> 01:10:08.422
[SPEAKER_00]: I know.
01:10:10.023 --> 01:10:12.485
[SPEAKER_00]: She turned her cup so the handle faced her.
01:10:13.506 --> 01:10:14.707
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't tell him to fix it.
01:10:15.207 --> 01:10:15.928
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't offer.
01:10:16.828 --> 01:10:18.390
[SPEAKER_00]: He carried the bag to the car.
01:10:18.930 --> 01:10:22.673
[SPEAKER_00]: She stood in the kitchen doorway with her hands in the pockets of the cardigan.
01:10:23.613 --> 01:10:24.894
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't come to the step.
01:10:25.895 --> 01:10:26.696
[SPEAKER_00]: He backed out.
01:10:27.886 --> 01:10:33.689
[SPEAKER_00]: In the window she lifted one hand, not quite a wave, he lifted his in return.
01:10:34.890 --> 01:10:38.511
[SPEAKER_00]: He drove to the end of the street and turned toward the highway.
01:10:39.332 --> 01:10:45.435
[SPEAKER_00]: The radio stayed off, his throat hurt when he swallowed, the pressure was gone.
01:10:46.999 --> 01:10:48.760
[SPEAKER_00]: He stopped once for gas.
01:10:49.401 --> 01:10:51.002
[SPEAKER_00]: He bought coffee he didn't finish.
01:10:51.942 --> 01:10:54.304
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, the radiator was knocking.
01:10:55.084 --> 01:10:59.167
[SPEAKER_00]: He set the bag on the table and stood in the kitchen with the light off.
01:10:59.988 --> 01:11:02.729
[SPEAKER_00]: The book was closed on the counter where he left it.
01:11:03.670 --> 01:11:04.591
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't open it.
01:11:05.351 --> 01:11:07.913
[SPEAKER_00]: He ran water into a glass and drank.
01:11:08.727 --> 01:11:12.333
[SPEAKER_00]: The motion was ordinary, the soreness stayed.
01:11:13.195 --> 01:11:15.739
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the glass and left it in the rack.
01:11:16.360 --> 01:11:18.524
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to bed with the kitchen light on.
01:11:20.593 --> 01:11:22.573
[SPEAKER_00]: In the morning, he drove to the office.
01:11:23.294 --> 01:11:25.034
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine was already at her desk.
01:11:25.754 --> 01:11:28.495
[SPEAKER_00]: She looked up when he passed and lifted a hand.
01:11:29.095 --> 01:11:29.915
[SPEAKER_00]: He lifted his.
01:11:30.875 --> 01:11:33.636
[SPEAKER_00]: At his desk, he opened the shared drive.
01:11:34.276 --> 01:11:35.897
[SPEAKER_00]: The schedule was the same.
01:11:36.837 --> 01:11:40.738
[SPEAKER_00]: He added a note about a date that had shifted and saved the file.
01:11:41.638 --> 01:11:43.919
[SPEAKER_00]: At lunch, he walked farther than the park.
01:11:44.800 --> 01:11:50.723
[SPEAKER_00]: He bought a sandwich at a place he hadn't tried, and ate it on a bench outside the library.
01:11:51.423 --> 01:11:53.904
[SPEAKER_00]: A woman sat at the other end with a stroller.
01:11:54.705 --> 01:11:55.865
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't speak to him.
01:11:56.606 --> 01:11:58.807
[SPEAKER_00]: He stayed until the sandwich was gone.
01:11:59.627 --> 01:12:00.768
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't check the time.
01:12:02.449 --> 01:12:05.050
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine stopped at his cubicle in the afternoon.
01:12:05.650 --> 01:12:06.751
[SPEAKER_00]: She had one cup.
01:12:11.252 --> 01:12:12.273
[SPEAKER_00]: I brought this instead.
01:12:13.674 --> 01:12:14.634
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the cup.
01:12:15.255 --> 01:12:16.476
[SPEAKER_00]: The lid was still on.
01:12:17.957 --> 01:12:18.437
[SPEAKER_00]: Thank you.
01:12:19.618 --> 01:12:20.619
[SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to drink it?
01:12:21.840 --> 01:12:22.140
[SPEAKER_00]: I know.
01:12:23.741 --> 01:12:26.103
[SPEAKER_00]: She said it down and went back to her desk.
01:12:27.063 --> 01:12:28.965
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter left the cup where it was.
01:12:29.805 --> 01:12:31.466
[SPEAKER_00]: He worked until it was cold.
01:12:32.247 --> 01:12:34.629
[SPEAKER_00]: He took the lid off and drank all of it.
01:12:35.289 --> 01:12:37.351
[SPEAKER_00]: The soreness in his throat was the same.
01:12:41.162 --> 01:12:43.964
[SPEAKER_00]: When he passed Elaine's desk, she was typing.
01:12:44.765 --> 01:12:45.625
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't look up.
01:12:46.126 --> 01:12:47.046
[SPEAKER_00]: He stopped anyway.
01:12:49.208 --> 01:12:50.369
[SPEAKER_00]: I read the next section.
01:12:51.169 --> 01:12:54.512
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, she finished the line she was on.
01:12:55.913 --> 01:12:57.274
[SPEAKER_00]: The one after the letters?
01:12:58.414 --> 01:12:58.655
[SPEAKER_00]: Yes.
01:12:59.795 --> 01:13:00.336
[SPEAKER_00]: What'd you think?
01:13:01.857 --> 01:13:03.938
[SPEAKER_00]: He burns one and keeps the rest.
01:13:05.299 --> 01:13:07.081
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know why he burns that one.
01:13:08.562 --> 01:13:10.003
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine looked at the screen.
01:13:11.776 --> 01:13:12.417
[SPEAKER_00]: He doesn't say.
01:13:13.778 --> 01:13:13.998
[SPEAKER_00]: No.
01:13:15.859 --> 01:13:16.420
[SPEAKER_00]: She nodded.
01:13:17.260 --> 01:13:18.441
[SPEAKER_00]: She went back to typing.
01:13:19.682 --> 01:13:23.365
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stood for another moment and then went to his cubicle.
01:13:24.186 --> 01:13:26.288
[SPEAKER_00]: He sat with his hands on the keyboard.
01:13:27.368 --> 01:13:28.589
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure was gone.
01:13:29.350 --> 01:13:32.513
[SPEAKER_00]: He worked until five and left with the book in his back.
01:13:33.399 --> 01:13:37.583
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he set the bag on the table and took the book out.
01:13:38.284 --> 01:13:41.087
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened it and read until the light changed.
01:13:41.748 --> 01:13:43.409
[SPEAKER_00]: The sentences stayed.
01:13:44.370 --> 01:13:46.953
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the book and left it closed.
01:13:47.754 --> 01:13:50.256
[SPEAKER_00]: He made eggs and ate them sitting down.
01:13:51.017 --> 01:13:53.279
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the pan and left it in the rack.
01:13:54.040 --> 01:13:57.081
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the window until the street lights came on.
01:13:58.181 --> 01:13:59.421
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't call, Joan.
01:14:00.381 --> 01:14:02.541
[SPEAKER_00]: His throat was sore when he swallowed.
01:14:03.222 --> 01:14:05.102
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to bed with the kitchen light on.
01:14:05.822 --> 01:14:10.783
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept his hand open on the blanket, nothing moved under his palm.
01:14:11.763 --> 01:14:18.064
[SPEAKER_00]: He lay with his eyes open and listen to the radiator until the light under the shade began to change.
01:14:23.073 --> 01:14:27.394
[SPEAKER_00]: The kitchen light was still on, he turned it off and made coffee.
01:14:28.255 --> 01:14:30.355
[SPEAKER_00]: His throat was sore when he swallowed.
01:14:30.815 --> 01:14:32.136
[SPEAKER_00]: The soreness was the same.
01:14:33.156 --> 01:14:36.437
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the counter with the book closed beside the mug.
01:14:37.278 --> 01:14:38.018
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't open it.
01:14:38.858 --> 01:14:42.619
[SPEAKER_00]: He drank the coffee and washed the mug and left it in the rack.
01:14:44.480 --> 01:14:47.401
[SPEAKER_00]: At the office, Elaine was on the phone when he passed.
01:14:48.081 --> 01:14:49.081
[SPEAKER_00]: She lifted a hand.
01:14:49.902 --> 01:14:50.622
[SPEAKER_00]: He lifted his.
01:14:51.605 --> 01:14:55.707
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened the shared drive and corrected a date that had been wrong since Monday.
01:14:56.747 --> 01:14:57.868
[SPEAKER_00]: He saved the file.
01:14:58.888 --> 01:15:02.730
[SPEAKER_00]: At lunch, he walked to the same place outside the library.
01:15:03.691 --> 01:15:04.711
[SPEAKER_00]: The bench was empty.
01:15:05.352 --> 01:15:07.913
[SPEAKER_00]: He bought the sandwich again and ate it there.
01:15:08.793 --> 01:15:11.575
[SPEAKER_00]: A man sat at the other end and opened a newspaper.
01:15:12.155 --> 01:15:12.955
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't speak.
01:15:13.916 --> 01:15:16.077
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter stayed until the sandwich was gone.
01:15:16.917 --> 01:15:18.778
[SPEAKER_00]: He walked back the long way.
01:15:20.741 --> 01:15:23.382
[SPEAKER_00]: Elaine stopped that his cubicle before he left.
01:15:23.942 --> 01:15:25.322
[SPEAKER_00]: She had the scheduled folder.
01:15:26.682 --> 01:15:28.523
[SPEAKER_00]: The day she fixed, she said.
01:15:29.523 --> 01:15:29.963
[SPEAKER_00]: It works.
01:15:31.203 --> 01:15:31.463
[SPEAKER_00]: Good.
01:15:32.783 --> 01:15:34.104
[SPEAKER_00]: She said the folder down.
01:15:35.264 --> 01:15:38.405
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going for coffee after the place two blocks over.
01:15:39.265 --> 01:15:40.545
[SPEAKER_00]: You can come if you want.
01:15:41.105 --> 01:15:41.465
[SPEAKER_00]: Or not?
01:15:43.026 --> 01:15:44.146
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked at the folder.
01:15:45.006 --> 01:15:46.406
[SPEAKER_00]: The corner was still bent.
01:15:47.166 --> 01:15:48.327
[SPEAKER_00]: The pressure was gone.
01:15:48.847 --> 01:15:50.027
[SPEAKER_00]: His throat was sore.
01:15:51.688 --> 01:15:52.289
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, hmmm.
01:15:53.511 --> 01:15:53.871
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll come.
01:15:54.592 --> 01:15:55.013
[SPEAKER_00]: He said.
01:15:56.555 --> 01:15:57.096
[SPEAKER_00]: She nodded.
01:15:57.817 --> 01:15:58.698
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't smile.
01:15:59.519 --> 01:16:00.801
[SPEAKER_00]: She went back to her desk.
01:16:01.542 --> 01:16:03.365
[SPEAKER_00]: Peter sat until five.
01:16:04.046 --> 01:16:05.348
[SPEAKER_00]: He met her at the elevator.
01:16:06.089 --> 01:16:08.352
[SPEAKER_00]: They walked the two blocks without talking.
01:16:09.514 --> 01:16:11.916
[SPEAKER_00]: The place was small, she ordered.
01:16:12.337 --> 01:16:17.661
[SPEAKER_00]: He ordered the same thing she brought him the day before, they sat at a table by the window.
01:16:18.522 --> 01:16:22.526
[SPEAKER_00]: She asked whether he'd finished the next section, he said he hadn't.
01:16:23.026 --> 01:16:24.367
[SPEAKER_00]: She didn't ask why.
01:16:25.248 --> 01:16:29.312
[SPEAKER_00]: They drank the coffee, she talked about a meeting that had run long.
01:16:30.052 --> 01:16:30.653
[SPEAKER_00]: He listened.
01:16:31.514 --> 01:16:37.343
[SPEAKER_00]: When the cups were empty, she stood, he stood, they walked back to the garage.
01:16:38.064 --> 01:16:39.667
[SPEAKER_00]: She said she'd see him tomorrow.
01:16:40.528 --> 01:16:44.475
[SPEAKER_00]: He said, yes, he drove home with the radio off.
01:16:46.891 --> 01:16:50.974
[SPEAKER_00]: At the apartment, he said his bag on the table and took the book out.
01:16:51.735 --> 01:16:56.499
[SPEAKER_00]: He opened it and read two pages, the sentences stayed.
01:16:57.300 --> 01:16:59.802
[SPEAKER_00]: He closed the book and left it closed.
01:17:00.703 --> 01:17:03.405
[SPEAKER_00]: He made eggs and ate them sitting down.
01:17:04.225 --> 01:17:06.708
[SPEAKER_00]: He washed the pan and left it in the rack.
01:17:07.587 --> 01:17:10.828
[SPEAKER_00]: He stood at the window until the streetlights came on.
01:17:11.969 --> 01:17:13.309
[SPEAKER_00]: He didn't call, Joan.
01:17:14.390 --> 01:17:16.650
[SPEAKER_00]: His throat was sore when he swallowed.
01:17:17.231 --> 01:17:19.852
[SPEAKER_00]: He went to bed with the kitchen light off.
01:17:20.872 --> 01:17:25.714
[SPEAKER_00]: He kept his hand open on the blanket, nothing moved under his palm.
01:17:26.854 --> 01:17:33.597
[SPEAKER_00]: He lay with his eyes open and listen to the radiator until the knocking stopped.
01:17:41.462 --> 01:17:49.047
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh man, there's a lot to uncover here, or take up with a pry bar, whichever you prefer.
01:17:50.832 --> 01:18:02.682
[SPEAKER_00]: part of me hopes the emotional subtext of the story is lost on many of you because Peter's relationship with his icy mother is not a healthy one.
01:18:03.382 --> 01:18:12.290
[SPEAKER_00]: It reads to me like a much more true to life every day depiction of a sour relationship with a parent.
01:18:13.411 --> 01:18:17.194
[SPEAKER_00]: One hopes that Peter will have the wear with all to get treated.
01:18:17.214 --> 01:18:20.337
[SPEAKER_00]: And I don't mean only for his sore throat.
01:18:21.357 --> 01:18:26.181
[SPEAKER_00]: And, one hopes that he never brings Joan any more half and half.
01:18:26.942 --> 01:18:29.784
[SPEAKER_00]: Let the ice queen freeze on her own.
01:18:31.585 --> 01:18:41.333
[SPEAKER_00]: If you enjoyed this story, please check out more from M.M.Saint in the playlist linked on screen for our YouTube viewers.
01:18:42.247 --> 01:18:44.568
[SPEAKER_00]: Please also leave us a comment.
01:18:45.449 --> 01:18:51.372
[SPEAKER_00]: I know both myself and the authors enjoy reading them and interacting with you.
01:18:52.353 --> 01:18:55.275
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever you do, you matter.
01:18:55.815 --> 01:18:59.557
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care what anyone else said or how they made you feel.
01:19:00.518 --> 01:19:03.399
[SPEAKER_00]: And don't fall asleep.
01:19:04.080 --> 01:19:09.303
[UNKNOWN]: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha