That night, he broke in and said to her, "Go to hell with me."
She met his gaze with relief and murmured a few words. It was so good.
He smiled, then put a hook and stamp it.
His encounter with her was like a cardamom moment, pure and translucent.
He and she were obviously childhood sweethearts, and they had promised to never leave her.
But he happened to live a heavy life, and she just forgot about him.
When she reunited with him, she thought it was their first meeting, but he was noncommittal.