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I give hi me that”

He shakes his head then clears his throat I run a hand back through reet you,” he tellsway that very elderly folks have When I feel sure he’s finished speaking, I nod

“Thank you Looking forward to spending tiain”

I get out the door, but kids are outside These are older kids—teenagers I see them notice me in a sort of doht, and finally a hush falls over the group Soht before her cheeks flush

I can’t help laughing “C’ me self-conscious”

That’s all it takes to break the ice The youth of Tristan da Cunha crowd around to seefor n their clothes and, in one case, a hand

The look in their eyes…especially the guys It’s pretty sweet at first, but soon I feel like I can’t breathe They all talk fast and loudly, desperate to impress—to impress me Their questions never end, and that’s okay, exceptnow My throat is dry My head is pounding

By the time a brown-haired wo

“Homer? Hi—I’m Mrs Dillon, hospitality coordinator for the island I’m here to help you escape,” she teases, in a soft, low voice

Thank fuck she’s pretty low key, because her appearance heralds another half hour of on-air tireen Land Rover and she drives me down the road, onto another little road, and up the foothills to a little Hobbit cottage tucked into a grassy hill, under a sky of stor the freezer and trying out the faucet in the bathtub I appreciate her hospitality, but when she leaves, I lock the door

Back in the bedroo, fumble past some folded clothes, and snatch out one of two oversized ibuprofen bottles I’ve got rolled up in two editions of ESPN Magazine

I wrapsound it s out I open a fes so I can listen to the rain when it comes

I’ my hairline as I look down at the bottle I want to take the top off, but not yet If I see the shit inside, sometimes it’s too hard to hold off I’m not due for another mini-dose of subs for two more hours With that taper and the Valium one, I’ much extra Don’t want room to fuck up

So far, knoill happen if I cave to either craving has been enough to keep h the subs or the Valium all at once, the post-acute withdraill be worse than it is now—and on the island, there’s no getting

I poke through the fridge and pantry, but I don’t think I can eat, so I step onto the patio behind the house and watch the clouds gather and burst I lean ainst the wall and shut my eyes and feel my body tremble