She came through the front door, closing it slowly to make sure it didn't groan. She let out a breath when she saw the TV was off; surely he was already in bed.

In the doorway, she made out his sleeping form. He breathed deeply, evenly, drowned in slumber. In the dim light of the bedside lamp she could see his mouth slightly open, his thickset eyebrows. That errant curl on his forehead. It was still mostly black, but silver strands had begun making their way through his hair. A smile melted across her face. He looked like the boy she remembered from years ago. The boy she had grown up with, played with, shared dreams with, fallen in love with.

If only you had stayed that way. If only you could have been happy with me.

Before I lost you.

To her.

He mumbled, turning more into the pillow. She flinched and balled her fists. Whatever he dreamed, she hoped he wouldn't verbalize it. She prayed for him to spout nonsense gibberish, anything but-

He whispered, called out a name, loud in the quiet.

She felt the damned tears coming again, and swore under her breath. It was just as well she had sent the note, asking to meet tonight.

She turned and walked out of the old house. Behind Pine Mountain, a distant thunderstorm rumbled.

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The windshield wipers squeaked as they fought the downpour. The lights from the all-night diner gleamed by the highway, a balm to her eyes tired of the dark. She parked the car, leaving the key in the ignition. The radio played against the drumming rain.

Your beauty is beyond compare

With flaming locks of auburn hair

With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green

Your smile is like a breath of spring

Your voice is soft like summer rain

And I cannot compete with you

Jolene

She pounded the steering wheel, gasping sobs pouring out. The other woman's eyes weren't green and her name wasn't the same as the title, but the rest of the words in the song might as well have been written about her.

The woman she had asked to meet tonight. The woman she wished she could forget.

The woman her husband spoke of in his dreams.

And I can easily understand

How you could easily take my man

But you don't know what he means to me

Jolene

She wiped at her eyes, feeling her mascara smear. She fumbled for a Kleenex, cleaning her face as best as she could against the glowing light of the Mountain Dew sign. She took a deep breath. I must be calm. I can't let her know how she's affected me. A grim, broken bark of a laugh escaped from her. Of course she knew how this affected her, how she affected his wife! Everyone in the county knew about it!

The rain lessened until it became a light mist. She got out of the Cadillac, the sound of the car door echoing across the parking lot.

The familiar truck was parked under a nearby light. She sucked in a breath as she peered through the rain-spattered window.

Her.

Sitting in a booth alone, a cup of steaming coffee between her hands.

She went into the women's restroom first, to check that there were no marks left on her face.

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She sipped at the coffee without tasting it. Tapping on the ugly table, she looked up as someone came in the door. Her heart jumped, then resumed its normal rhythm as two truckers were greeted by the bleach-blonde hostess.

She sighed and pulled out the note from the pocket of her windbreaker. It had been folded and re-folded so many times in the last week the thin paper almost tore.

Elsie,

We need to talk. Meet me at Lucy's Diner at 11 pm next Thursday night. That is, if you're not a coward.

Alice