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     “She is a strong woman. She’ll be just fine, Elrod,” Pervis said, grabbing a cold beer from the cooler between their rocking chairs. “How long were you at the hospital this time?”

     “Dunno. Maybe twelve hours. Since about seven this morning.”

     “Dang. Sorry you have to go through this. I’ve been knowing you since elementary school. You never had to deal with anything like this. So, I’m here for you if you need anything.”

     “I know.” Elrod kept his gaze on the lush green grass covering every inch of the yard.

     “Can she hear you when you read to her?” His friend squeezed his shoulder.

     “Not sure. I hope so.”

     A long pause as the two rocked slowly and scanned the yard.

     “Remember when I first started working at Claxton’s garage?” Elrod said.

     Pervis nodded.

     “After working there all day, I would come home. She would stop me at the door, telling me that I had to take off my greasy coveralls, and she would send me upstairs to take a shower. She would heat up my dinner and watch me eat while I told her about my day. Sometimes, she would wait and eat with me.”

     Elrod paused to gather himself. Emotions always got the better of him when he talked about his wife since the accident. Pervis waited placidly and looked at the orange clouds announcing dusk over the horizon.

     “My eyes would be so heavy after a day’s work. I tell ya, I couldn’t keep them open half the time. She would clear the table, and then we’d head upstairs. I would lie next to her on the bed and put my head on her belly and try to hear Junior’s heartbeat. She would grab one of her books about a faraway place or time and read to me while she stroked my hair.”

     He took a sip of his beer not only to wet his mouth, but to give time for the stinging sensation, the precursor to tears, to pass.

     “Every time, I would fall asleep pretty quick. I would dream that me, her, and Junior are at wherever she was readin’. In those moments, there was no Claxton’s garage. No line of cars needin’ to be fixed. No smell of exhaust. Just me and my family in England or Australia or some other place.”

      For several minutes, the two sat in their chairs enjoying the sky moving from one hue to the next. This was one of Elrod’s wife’s favorite things to do, watching the sunset and surveying their hard work converting the land into a home to raise their future children.

     Elrod absentmindedly stroked the pistol that was in his lap. He glared at the doghouse at the far end of the yard straight in front of the patio. With each breath of aromatic night air he took in, the more he was filled with rage. Muted, Pervis watched his friend and let Elrod work through his pain.

     “I hope you don’t blame yourself for what happened,” Pervis said. “There’s enough blame to go around. Ray Nathan for doin’ a shitty job on your fence. Started to come apart after what, two weeks? Amaleen for sellin’ you a dog I bet she knew wasn’t right in the head. Dang sure wasn’t trained like she done says it was. You secured that stupid mutt tight. I was here when you done it. Collar was on real good.”

     Elrod was losing the battle for control over his emotions. A tear rolled down his cheek on the side Pervis couldn’t see. Elrod didn’t speak until he was in control of his feelings.

     “I only had one job before work. Put the dog out back. One job.”

     Pervis looked away not wanting the distressed image of his friend etched into his memory. Tears were in both of Elrod’s eyes at this point. They ran down his cheeks conspicuously. He took a large drink from his beer and then opened the cooler. He grabbed one and gave another to Pervis. After opening both, he handed one to his friend, as Pervis nodded in appreciation. Elrod continued.

     “The dog didn’t get out of his collar ’cause of Ray Nathan or Amaleen. If I had put that damn collar around his neck better, he wouldn’t have been in the street dodging cars. Nobody would have swerved. Nobody would have gotten hurt. I would be here with my wife takin’ in the sunset not with you. Though I’m grateful for the company.”

     Pervis nodded in appreciation again.

     “But that’s just how she was. She ran out front the second she heard the commotion. Tried to save that damn mutt. Me? I would have let that dog meet its maker. I would have buried it and got another.”

     He took a sip of beer as the rising heat in his face evaporated his tears. He put his bottle down and stood up, leaving the chair rocking behind him. Unlocking the cylinder latch, Elrod checked to see how many bullets he had in his pistol. With a swift flick of his wrist, he snapped it back into place and spun the chamber.

     Holding the grip tightly, he looked at his friend who was leisurely rocking in his chair savoring his beer. Elrod loved this man like a brother. He knew Pervis would go along with and support whatever decision was made. Looking at the gun in his hands now, Elrod felt the cold metal of the barrel. Pointing the gun at the dog house, he made sure the front and rear sites were aligned perfectly.

     Lowering the weapon, he beheld his longtime friend who looked back with no judgment. Cocking back the hammer, Elrod proceeded to the doghouse.