CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

     Into the Valley

Marlys left abruptly. Whether to terminate our relationship (one that might not exist), or simply to forget about me. I couldn’t tell. I locked the door. Then, I turned out the light, in order to enjoy a small measure of privacy, with Benito sleeping in the lower bunk. I stripped and showered in the dark, removing the smell of gulag from my pores. It was an abomination I would have to endure again the following morning. I didn’t have to sleep with it, like the O’Donelly boy.