«All I know is I heard you on the phone just now. When you're gone, I'll call Anne.»
«Will you?»
«I will.»
«Oh, Lord, I'm so happy for you, for me, for us!»
«Get out of here. Go. Get. Run. Fly away home.»
She jumped to her feet and banged at her hair with a comb and gave up, laughing. «I don't care if I look funny―»
«Beautiful,» he corrected.
«Beautiful to you, maybe.»
«Always and forever.»
She came and bent down and kissed him and
«Is this our last kiss?»
«Yes.» He thought about it. «The last.»
«One more, then.»
«Just one.»
She held his face in her hands and stared into it.
«Thanks for your wish,» she said.
«Thanks for yours.»
«You calling Anne right now?»
«Now.»
«Best to Anne.»
«Best to Bob. God love you, dear lady. Goodbye.»
She was out the door and in the next room and the outside door shut and the hotel suite was very quiet. He heard her footsteps fade a long way off in the hall toward the elevator.
He sat looking at the phone but did not touch it.
He looked in the mirror and saw the tears beginning to stream unendingly out of his eyes.
«You, there,» he said to his image. «You. Liar.» And again: «Liar!»
And he turned and lay back down in the bed and put one hand out to touch that empty pillow there.