“To sell it after such a long time is…I don’t know. Why are you?” “It ain’t old. Painted it…I think it was about two years ago. You talkin’ about the date? That’s part of the title, not the year I painted it. That’s her house back in eighty-one. She sold it, I don’t know, ten years ago, maybe more. It was her first, her fixer-upper, you know. Did a good job on it. Made some money. But, she didn’t like it. Didn’t want to mess with the contractors and didn’t like dust and paint, so the next house she bought, she kept. This one.” “It’s nice,” I say, but it’s a standard ranch. “Yeah, it’s all right. I’m goin’ to miss it while I’m gone, but I’ll be back.” “You aren’t getting a divorce?” “Divorce? Hell, no. She ain’t goin’ to leave me. Not for good. She needs me. Can’t get through a month without the doctor. That’s me.” He points his thumb at his chest. “She could die. She’s sick. Understan’? I help her make it through the days, medicate.
