We hadn’t seen each other in a long while. She stood at the door, taking me in. When did you get so fat? she asked. This morning, I replied.

Then she asked, Can we still be friends? She knew it would never be enough for me. Buy me a Volvo? I asked. It was an equally silly question.

We were exhausted from the incessant arguing. So I said, Let’s go on a trip. We booked tickets. We planned. Only to argue in a foreign land.

The day is bright with possibility. I slather her back with lotion. The ocean roars beyond the dunes. I’m closed for business, she tells me.

She opens the door. He says, You’ve lost weight. She looks away. I’ve been ill, she says. He wants to die now. Do you have a knife? he asks.