ignored her comment, ‘don’t go to the doctor. Don’t go to the police. See if I care.’
‘I see already.’
Falling silent, Albert sat down in the lounge chair. Aristotle sidled up to him, dragging his tongue over his hand. It was a loving gesture, and Kristina, looking at them both, thought, Aristotle loves Albert. He’d gladly spend all his days with him if I weren’t around.
Bending down, Albert patted the dog on the head, and Aristotle, encouraged, licked his other hand. Albert sat next to the window and stared at Kristina with his impenetrable eyes.
Kristina hated fighting with him. Nowadays making up was harder and harder, and nothing felt worse to her than knowing they had argued and then weren’t kind to each other.
‘What are you looking at?’ Kristina asked him.
‘You,’ Albert replied. ‘God, you’re so beautiful. You’re amazing. Look at you.’
‘Yeah, look at me,’ Kristina said plaintively. ‘I’m a mess.’ ‘No, you’re all right. You could’ve died.’ His voice was peculiar. ‘You’re lucky you’re alive, you know.’
‘I know,’ she said weakly. ‘I know that better than anyone.’
Slowly she walked over and stood in front of him. He reached out and touched her lightly on the ribs. She flinched from his fingers. ‘It hurts a little,’ she said, trying to keep her voice even. ‘Albert, can you imagine it? Me, dying?’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I can’t. I can’t imagine living without you.’ Kristina wanted to tell him again that he was going to have to, but thought this wasn’t a good time.
‘Is the car a total wreck?’
She shrugged. ‘Who knows? You think I stuck around to find out how the car was?’
Quietly he said, ‘You should’ve gone to the hospital.’
‘What, and be even later?’ she asked. ‘I mean, they would’ve probably kept me there overnight. And look at what I got just for being two hours late. Can you imagine if I was away somewhere overnight?’
‘I would’ve thought something terrible happened to you. I would’ve been worried sick.’
‘Yeah, sure. You look really worried, sitting there.’
‘I’m sorry, Rock,’ he finally said. ‘I know you’re upset with me. Listen, please, let’s go to Canada. I’m asking you. Please.’
‘Albert, no. You, please. You have Conni, remember?’
‘I’ll work it out. Maybe I’ll pick a big fight.’
‘I don’t believe you,’ she said. Crouching in front of him, still naked, Kristina whispered, ‘Albert, please. I want to stop.’
He looked her over. ‘You’re naked.’
She got up and backed away from him. ‘I mean it.’
‘Let’s go to Canada and then you’ll tell me if you mean it.’ He smiled sexily.
‘No. I’m serious. I’ve had enough. I want us to be done. Okay?’
Kristina wasn’t smiling, and Albert stopped smiling.
‘You’re still naked,’ he repeated.
‘Clothes aren’t the problem, Albert. I can get dressed.’
‘Please,’ he said coldly.
‘The problem is us. We. We’ve got to stop.’ She looked away from him. ‘I want us to get over each other.’ She coughed, causing severe pain to her head. ‘I want to get over you. I want you to go with Conni to Long Island, and I don’t want to think about it anymore. I don’t want to lie, I don’t want to sneak around, I don’t want to worry about Howard. Or anybody.’
When he sat there impassively, Kristina said, ‘We’re not meant to be together.’
‘You’re wrong.’ His tone was flat. He could’ve been saying, ‘You’re right.’
‘We were never meant to be together,’ Kristina said firmly, knowing she didn’t sound firm, knowing she couldn’t shield herself from his eyes. She was stuck in front of him with nowhere to go.
‘You’re wrong,’ Albert repeated, in the same tone.
Kristina continued, undaunted, ‘Never. We screwed up real bad, but there’s still time to have a life - good lives. Don’t you want one? Conni loves you so much.’
‘I know. So? Jim loves you so much.’ He sounded bitter.
Shaking her head, Kristina said, ‘No, he doesn’t. No, he doesn’t. Not the way Conni loves you. And you know that.’
Albert got up out of his chair and stood, loomed, before her. ‘Kristina, this is absurd. I cannot not have you in my life.’
She rubbed her face with her good hand, but it was more like closing her eyes at the sight of him. ‘Albert - please. We can’t. We can’t continue.’
‘You’re wrong.’
She sighed deeply and then groaned from pain. She wasn’t wrong, she was just so tired of standing, of being naked, of this conversation falling again on his deaf ears.
There was a knock on the door. Albert looked at Kristina and sat back down in the armchair. Kristina looked at Albert. Aristotle barked once and started to wag his tail.
‘Hold on!’ Kristina said loudly.
‘Kristina?’ The door opened a notch. It was Jim.
‘Jim, hold on!’ Kristina repeated, throwing some clothes on.
‘Is everything okay?’
Jim couldn’t see her, for she was behind the door and out of his line of vision, but she knew he could see Albert sitting in her chair. Thank God he wasn’t sitting on her unmade bed. Aristotle ran to the door, and his behind started to move from side to side just like his tail.
‘I’m fine,’ Kristina said. ‘Come in.’
Jim came in, looking at them suspiciously. But Kristina knew Jim wouldn’t act on an emotional impulse; he didn’t trust emotional impulses. Jim glanced at Albert,.then at Kristina again. She was wearing her pink tank top and a pair of pull-on Dartmouth green shorts. At first his gaze was hard, but then he saw her face. Kristina knew she was a sight. There was a bloody gash where the glass had been, and her eyes had a glazed look that she knew was from alcohol. Jim could easily have mistaken the look for signs of concussion. Her tank-top collar was dark with dried blood.
‘God, what happened to you?’ Jim said, giving Albert a stare that made Kristina suspect Jim thought Albert had beaten her.
‘Nothing,’ she answered, touching her face. ‘I was in an
