That Saturday Declan came. He wore old gloves and the expression of a man entering his wife's professional weather. They pulled weeds from a strip behind the tire shop with teenagers, two retirees, and a pastor who prayed briefly over a trash bag as if litter required benediction. A boy asked Declan if he was a gardener. Declan said, "I'm married to one. I do what I'm told." Rhea heard it and felt something ease in her chest that had been clenched since the rainy bus stop.
After the cleanup they walked to a food truck and ate too-hot sandwiches on a low wall. Rhea had dirt under her nails. Declan had a scrape on his knuckle.
"You were good with them," she said.
"I was present. Presence is the part I can afford."
"It's also the part I needed."
He nodded at the muddy corridor. "When this is finished, will you still meet me at the bus stop on Wednesdays, or will you become too important for transit maps?"
"I will become tired and muddy and still hungry for coffee. The map stays."
"Good. I like knowing where to stand."
"Under the umbrella," she said.
"Under the umbrella."
The following Tuesday Cormac called Declan from the duplex during a walkthrough with the buyers' inspector. "They want to know about the basement crack. Tell me what to say that is honest without being suicidal."
"Say it's been monitored, not worsening, and you'll provide the last contractor note. Don't say 'character.'"
"Your mother hated when people called problems character."
"Mom was right about most structural metaphors."
Cormac hesitated. "Brenna wants me to ship the recliner. I hate that recliner. I also fall asleep in it like a man who has lost arguments with time. What do I do?"
"Ship it. Hate it in Warwick. Some hates are portable comforts."
Cormac laughed, then coughed, then said, "I am proud of you for staying. I am also afraid you will use pride as a substitute for desire. Don't. Desire still counts."
"I'm working on wanting the life I chose, not just enduring it."
"Work faster," Cormac said, gentle. "You're not as young as your raincoat."