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pulling it on.  You& I was so wrong to ever think& And then you thought last night was
about me wanting the house? You re sick.
 Fuck the house! Sam shouted.  I don t care about the house! I stopped caring about the
house when I started caring about you!
 And you just strung me along, so, what, you could sleep with me? You couldn t even do that
right. You re pathetic, Sam, Will said, his voice shaking.  You really know nothing about
me. How dare you assume anything?
 I know you cried for hours in your bedroom closet when your grandfather died, when you
were seven, Sam said quietly, trying to calm himself.  I know you tried to dig a hole to
China in the backyard and ended up finding a buried treasure, just a box full of buttons, but
you loved it anyway. I know that by the end of your marriage with Audrey, you weren t even
sleeping in the same bed as her.
Will dropped the shoe he was holding and stared at Sam.  What?
 The letters, Sam said, coming closer.  I read them.
 The letters?
 All the letters you sent to Audrey, I got them, Sam said.  I didn t... I didn t mean to read
them, but then I hurt my leg and Grant brought them down and I... Will, you re a beautiful
person.
Tears spilled down Will s cheeks, and he put a hand to his mouth.  You, Will said.  You are
the most manipulative person I have ever met. I don t want to ever see you again. Will
slammed his suitcase shut and pushed past Sam out the door and to the stairs. Sam ran after
him.
 Please, Will! Please!
Will stopped halfway down the steps and turned, glaring up at Sam.  No. You ve ruined this
house for me. Keep it, it s yours now. He sniffed and wiped the tears from his cheeks.  I
don t even care that you called me a slut, because you know I m not. But you read those
letters and you... you were inside me and I trusted you!
 Don t leave, let me explain, Sam said, voice desperate.
 You ve said enough, you ve done enough, Will said.  I feel dirty, and I m going to leave
now.
Will gave Sam one last look and then was out the door. With a desperate sigh, Sam followed
him to the porch and stopped at the top of the steps.  Will, don t do this.
Will held up a hand as he walked down the steps and then down the path to the road. The
ferry horn blared as Sam watched Will walk away from him, suitcase in hand.
Private Property - 82
Sam had won the house, but he was all alone.
And he felt terrible.
Private Property - 83
Chapter Ten
Mushy Shit
Sam set the store-bought cake down on the table and lifted his fork. He took a mournful bite
and swallowed.
It wasn t the same.
Nothing had been the same since Will left two days before. Sam threw down his fork.
Cake was never going to be the same again.
***
Sam paced back and forth in front of his typewriter. It d been two days without writing and
two days without Will.
What did it mean?
***
He walked by the shovel and scowled.
He walked by it again and swore.
He walked by it one more time and broke down like a little girl.
***
Sam shook the crumbs out of the sheets and balled them up in his fists. He had to do
something around the house or he would go crazy.
He walked down the steps into the laundry room and stared down into the washing machine.
His hands clenched tight around the little bundle in his hands. He brought the sheets to his
face and inhaled deeply.
 Oh my god, I ve become a pervert, he groaned into the sheets. They smelled like Will and
some crumbs got into his hair, but he didn t even mind. What were a few crumbs, anyway, in
the long run?
 I need a new hobby, Sam decided. He shoved the sheets into the washing machine and
cranked on the hot water.
***
Private Property - 84
He moved the shovel from the foyer to the shed out back. That was where it belonged.
***
Sam watered the flowers and waved to Mrs. Hastings. She smiled at him and brought over a
glass of lemonade.
 The lawn is looking mighty nice there, Samuel, she said.  Mighty nice.
 Thank you, Sam said. It was the first words he d spoken to another human being in three
days.  I ve got a lot of free time now.
 No writing? she asked.
Sam shook his head.  I don t know where my inspiration went, he admitted.
She smiled, one of those wise little grins that should be noted.  I think I might know where
you can find it again, she said. She handed Sam a flyer and winked.  Bye now. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]