He stepped back two steps and looked up at the dark windows. He would call her name; he would be given her help. But instead he simply stared a few moments, then slowly turned and began a slow walk down the street. He would not let Dempsey see anything. She had been given her life. It was hers. It had nothing to do with him.
He raised his hand, repeating the salute each of them had made as pledge to the unknown when the land was receding from the ferry as it moved through the churning waters, widening relentlessly and irrevocably the world between them. He held the hand there to make sure the pledge had been renewed, then lowered it. The throbbing had become more a pounding than a pulse. To its insistent beat he managed an almost stately step as he went down the empty street, continuing on his way, knowing now only too well where it would lead.
This was in the Year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and ninety-two.
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Acknowledgments
My thanks to Lori Milken, not only for publishing this book, but for her thoughtful comments that helped me improve the text. I am also grateful to her for Joseph Olshan, the editor who brought to the task not only his exceptional skills, but an uncommon depth of commitment. Then, too, I am lucky to have such an energetic and encouraging agent, Caron Knauer.
Also the book could not have been written without the generous help from these knowledgeable people: Dr Jill Nord, who was in the infectious diseases unit at Saint Vincent’s hospital, Lt. Jim Sheridan of the New York City Fire Department, and Carole Spinelli, R.N., from Saint Vincent’s supportive care program for people with AIDS. My gratitude to them is beyond measure.
And thanks to my nephew, Jim Smith and his computer, and to my friends, who read and responded to the manuscript, during the various stages that led to its completion: David Barbour, Daniel D’Arezzo and Mark Nichols. With all this, it’s hardly surprising that I continue to consider myself the most fortunate writer I know.
About the Author
Joseph Caldwell is an acclaimed playwright and novelist who has been awarded the Rome Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the author of five novels in addition to the Pig Trilogy, a humorous mystery series featuring a crime-solving pig. Caldwell lives in New York City and is currently working on various writing projects.
Copyright
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Joseph Caldwell
Cover design by Colin Dockrill
ISBN: 978-1-5040-6633-4
Published in 2020 by Delphinium Books, Inc.
P. O. Box 703
Harrison, NY 10528
This edition distributed in 2020 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
180 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
JOSEPH CALDWELL
FROM DELPHINIUM BOOKS
AND OPEN ROAD MEDIA
About the Publisher
Founded in 1986, Delphinium Books is committed to publishing original, important voices in both fiction and nonfiction. Our purpose is to recognize excellence in writing, and thereby bring it to public attention. Major book reviews and support from booksellers and librarians have contributed to Delphinium’s growth and distinction. We pride ourselves on publishing such acclaimed authors as Helen Yglesias, Héctor Tobar, Eileen Pollack, Jospeh Caldwell, William Davidow, and the internationally renowned novelist Francesca Duranti. Delphinium is especially proud of the critical acclaim accorded to Rosina Lippi’s Homestead, winner of the 1999 PEN/Hemingway award for best first fiction.
With its mandate to provide a rich venue for exemplary writers of our generation, Delphinium proudly offers its readers the best in quality literature.
