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it was an accident, wasn't it?" |
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Hannah started the car once more. "Sure," she said. "But Mike won't believe it." |
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"You'd better ask him." Hannah pulled a lever, and the car began to move down the hill. |
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Abby thought of Mike's bleak loneliness. Now she understood its source: grief . . . and guilt. But she was puzzled. There was more here than Hannah had explained. "Hannah, why" |
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Hannah held up one hand. "Sorry, Abby. Yes, there's more to the story, but no, I don't think I should be the one to tell you." |
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Abby felt shaky as they continued toward their destination. She wanted to be with Mike, to comfort him . . . to learn what Hannah had not revealed. She thought of their wonderful nights together, and sorrow welled up inside her. Was she simply an inadequate substitute for the wife Mike missed so terribly? |
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Hannah stopped the car in the parking lot of a large structure she called a shopping mall. Though also filled with stores, it was different from the single-story group of shops Mike had taken Abby to in Barstow. They made their purchases in a large department store, where Abby replaced the clothing she had lost with similar blouses and long skirts and, of course, this time's ubiquitous T-shirts and jeans. She also bought replacement shoes and a small leather purse. |
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Hannah explained credit cards when she tendered a small plastic card to pay for the purchases as Mike had done; its use was not |
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