You can use my phone, if you’ll pay the roaming charges,” I said.

“I need a land line,” he said “A pay phone.”

“You’re out of touch with the times,” I said. “A pay phone might be a little hard to find. Nobody uses them anymore.

“It’s an odd term, 'girlfriend,' particularly for grown persons. And in practice…”

“No blood at all. I could hear that phrase repeat itself in my head, louder each…”

“Why bother inflicting enormous pain on yourself when sooner or later Life would…”

“Rather than see me or have me touch it again, it died.”