Page 102 of The Woman Left Behind

His fingers then sifted into my hair, and he started playing.

I was beginning to think he might be a bit of a tease.

Then again, it certainly took my mind off other things.

“Let’s talk about something else,” he suggested.

“Like what?” I asked.

“Whatever you want,” he offered.

“Okay, do you like cats?”

“Yes.”

“But you like dogs better?”

“I’m active and my dogs run with me. I’ve got a little land, and they like roaming it with me. If Smokey was a cat being starved by a useless bitch I’m very glad moved out of my county, he’d be at my house living the good life with someone who gets he needs food and clean litter and love. I don’t like dogs better. They just fit my life better. Do you like cats better?”

“I had to hustle when Mom and Dad left. For the first few years, I had two jobs and was lonely, so I got a cat because I didn’t have the time I needed to devote to training a dog and looking after him.”

It was then I remembered something, with all that was happening, that had totally slipped my mind.

So I shared, “That reminds me. I forgot to tell you Willie called me the other day.”

I found myself suddenly sitting in bed with Harry since he jackknifed up and took me with him.

“What?” he demanded.

“Willie called the other day.”

“When?” he bit off.

“Um…” I tried to remember when he called. “Sunday morning. After our first date. Wait, I mean, our fourth.”

Or was it our third?

I got another moment of silence from Harry, but this one wasn’t a precursor to him laughing, I knew, because the air was heavy and snagged.

“Harry?” I called.

His voice was low and vibrating when he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Someone died in a car accident,” I reminded him.

“Again, why didn’t you tell me?”

“You’d had a shitty day.”

“Four days have elapsed since then.”

“Well, I don’t think I have to mention I then got my own supremely shitty news.”

With another sudden movement, I was on my back again, and Harry was on me.

Full on me this time.

“Okay, honey, I need you to pay close attention,” he started.

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