Our Souls at Night Page #3

but it got there pretty quick.

She was still alive.

My little girl.

And we rode to the hospital,

and I held her head in my lap.

Two days later, she was buried.

Her body was buried.

And I don't remember anything else

about that time.

I don't remember

Gene going back to school.

I don't remember Carl going back to work.

But things were never the same between us.

Never. Our relationship, our marriage...

In what way?

Just in every way possible. It was...

I don't know. We stopped talking.

We stopped being intimate.

It's tough for a marriage to survive that.

You know, you wake up one morning,

and you have everything.

Then the next morning it's all gone.

That's how fast it can happen,

just like that, in an instant, you know?

- You two aren't fighting again...

- No, Mom, come on.

She can't keep doing this, Gene.

It's not right.

- Mom...

- And it's not good for him.

Mom, it's not what you think it is.

We don't have a problem, okay?

Just... Just take him for a couple of days,

that's all I'm asking. Help me out.

Take him?

Yeah, until Bev comes back

or he goes back to school in September.

She's not gonna just go

and leave her son, is she?

No, Ma.

No. No. She's not.

Of course I'll take him.

How's your shop?

It was wonderful. I lost it.

You know, nobody's buying unpainted

furniture nowadays,

and... and I can't help it, you know?

Yeah. So what are you gonna do?

Uh...

I'll, uh... I'll figure it out.

You need money?

No.

I'll see you soon.

All right, now, give me a hug.

You're gonna be all right, okay?

All right, now go inside.

She's waiting for you, come on.

Come on, go inside.

Go on. Jamie, go up.

Come on, we're gonna have a good time.

I guess that's it for us, then.

Well, it... it doesn't have to be.

You don't think?

I don't know. Let's see how it goes.

Heck, I might need you

to help me with him, actually.

Been quite a stretch

since I took care of a seven-year-old.

Yeah, you and me both.

Jamie, hi.

How are things at home?

Uh...

Well, we're gonna have a good time,

you and me, okay?

Okay, so let's go to bed now.

- Nana?

- Yeah?

Can I sleep in your room?

Sure.

Pretty good cupcakes.

Try.

Hey, Jamie, how do you like school?

What's that game you're playing

on your phone?

- It's called Clash of Clans.

- It's called what?

- Clash of Clans.

- Clash of Clans.

- How's it work?

- You build a city and then, like,

- watch it grow and stuff.

- Huh.

Hey, you want to see something cool?

Hello?

What?

I'll show you.

See, I think...

I...

Yep.

Here it is.

This is the engine

that pulls the rest of the train.

And...

Oh, and this is the freight car.

It comes right behind it.

And this is the caboose,

which comes at the end.

- Where'd you buy them?

- Hmm?

Where'd you buy them?

Uh, I got them from a mail order,

got them from mail order...

And it was coming...

It was a big box with instructions in it.

And it came all the way from Tennessee.

And then my daughter and I

put this thing together,

and, boy, it took weeks to build it.

Wow.

Can I play with them?

Yes, as long as it's okay

with your grandmother.

If you're careful.

I put bad guys on the train,

and they were, like, robbing the train,

and then I had good guys, like,

come out and push them off the train.

And then I used paper towels...

I stuffed paper towels on the train

to make it look like smoke.

Oh, that sounds like a fun day.

Oh, can I play with my phone now?

Mm...

For a half hour.

Not at the table.

Ask to be excused.

- May I please be excused?

- Yes. Oh.

Baby steps.

- Well, hello again.

- Hi!

Where... Where's Addie?

She said I could come by myself.

Are you bringing the train set out today?

Well, I guess I could... I could poss...

Okay, then.

Cool.

- Okay?

- Got it.

Now, you're gonna hook these up,

and then...

- Careful, easy.

- Wait.

- There you go.

- Connected.

You know, when I was a kid,

they'd try to sell you cereal to eat.

- Mm-hmm.

- And so what they'd do,

they'd put a prize

at the bottom of the cereal box,

a little prize, like a ring?

Like a Captain Midnight ring

or something like that.

Mm-hmm.

And you'd plow through the cereal

to get to the prize.

You didn't like the cereal,

'cause it wasn't very good anyway,

but you couldn't wait to get the prize,

then you got your ring.

Okay, now, what's next?

Pulling the train along. And go.

Don't you think the train

needs to go through a town?

- Well, yeah.

- See, here's the town.

- Cool.

- Okay.

Wow. Oh, wow, this is a big house.

Well, somebody's got...

Ooh, somebody's very rich.

- Oh, how about a church?

- Oh, yeah, you've got to have a church.

Yeah, what's a town without a church?

There you go.

Now you're talking.

You know, my mom was five when

they first put the streetlights in Holt.

There were many more flowers

on Main Street then.

Where'd they go?

Well, 'cause of the moths.

The moths would pollinate the flowers,

and then because of the lights,

they would go higher up,

away from the flowers.

So why don't they make the lights lower,

like at my height?

I don't know.

That's an idea.

- Hi, Nana.

- Jamie.

Will you wash up for dinner?

- Okay.

- Okay.

- Can I have a sleepover?

- Yeah, sure.

With Louis, too?

Sure.

Mm-kay.

Out like a light.

You're good with kids.

Nana!

What's the matter, honey?

Okay. Come here.

Don't forget Mister Monkey.

Here you go. Okay, here we go.

What are you doing?

- I don't...

- Stay.

Stay. Come on, get in.

Okay.

- I'm gonna turn the light off, all right?

- Okay.

I'm scared.

Oh, honey,

there's nothing to be scared of.

Look, I'll hold your hand, okay?

I'm still scared.

Oh!

We're down a run,

but the top of the order is coming up,

and that's where the best hitters are.

You ever seen a game?

You haven't? You ever play?

Whoo! Go! Whoo! Go!

She is so good.

- She's good, yeah.

- She just always has been.

So...

Does he still come by at night?

We don't do anything,

if that's what you're thinking.

- No?

- No!

The hell you waiting for?

The hell you waiting for?

- I'm just rattling you.

- No, it's not what it's about.

When I was a kid,

there was nothing more important

than wanting to chase something

and catch it.

Yes.

I was always looking

for something to chase.

- Here you go.

- But, you know...

it breaks my heart

to see how lonely he is.

Mm.

You know what he needs?

I think he needs some real friends

to play with,

instead of us doddering old folks.

- "Doddering"?

- Yeah.

- Hey...

- Huh? Yeah?

How about a dog?

I'm serious.

There's a shelter in Phillips.

We could drive up there.

I don't have energy for a puppy.

I'm not talking about a puppy.

I'm talking about a dog,

like a real full-fledged dog.

House-trained and everything.

You can keep it at my house.

Sounds like you want a dog.

Oh...

Oh, this one looks nice.

- You want to see her?

- Yes, please.

Come on, girl.

So what... what happened here?

She was left outside during the winter,

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