"6 years and 8 months," she said. "But who's counting?" The way she said it flat, almost dry, made him glance over again. She was looking out the windshield, watching the highway lights scroll past. That's a long time, he said.
It is. How long are you staying? She turned and looked at him. It was the kind of look that asked, "Why are you asking, but she answered, "I don't know yet," she turned back to the window. They drove for a while without speaking.
The radio filled it something quiet. Blues adjacent. The kind of station that played at this hour because it suited people who were still awake when they shouldn't be. Sophie was the one who broke it again. "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead." "What's he like day-to-day?" She kept her voice carefully casual. Just what do you actually see from next door? Calvin thought about it.
Really thought about it because she deserved a real answer. He's up early, he said. I mean early. 5:30 6. Coffee on the porch even in January.
He reads the paper, the actual paper delivered to the box. He paused. He's neat, like meticulous. His gutters were cleaner than mine before. I helped him with them.
He just climbed up there himself and nearly broke his hip, which is why I started doing it. He takes his trash out the exact same time every week. He keeps his Calvin stopped. He keeps things in order. Sophie's hands shifted in her lap.
Does he have friends over? Not that I see. Does he go anywhere? Church, senior's group, anything. He goes to the hardware store more than any man I've ever met.
Calvin almost smiled. I think he just likes to walk the aisles. He doesn't always buy something. Sophie let out a short breath through her nose. Not quite a laugh, something smaller.
That's him, she said quietly. That's exactly hims. Is he okay? She said, "Really? Not what he tells me, what you actually think."
Calvin considered his words. He had a scare about a month ago. He said, "Hart! They caught it. It was manageable.
Nothing required surgery, but it shook him. I could see it." He got quieter than usual. The porch light was on late a few nights when it normally wasn't. He paused.