Eddie noticed all this in his peripheral vision. For a long time Sirius stood motionless near the door, staring toward Darlene, and then, very slowly, in stark comparison with the activity around him, he made a path toward where Darlene lay, as if he were a deer hunter and she his prey. Eddie took note of Sirius’s advance on Darlene, his stunned reaction alone revealing to Eddie who Sirius was. Sirius had apparently lost the ability to close his mouth, but Darlene, despite her agony, could not prevent herself from chuckling when she saw Sirius. Look who it is. Darlene laughed. She seemed to gather strength from his presence.I guess I finally made it, Sirius said, his voice catching with self-consciousness and what sounded like despair.You didn’t have to wait so long, Darlene said, like somebody about to kiss somebody. At this point Sirius knelt down to whisper to her, and Eddie could no longer hear their conversation.Still, from his vantage point tied to the door, Eddie could almost feel the tenderness radiating from Sirius.
