When the key turned in the lock, Joe sat up and quickly got out of bed.
Christophe entered the room without a sound and shut the door, locking it. “Oh, were you sleeping? I’m sorry if I woke you.”
Joe turned the lamp on. He was still getting used to turning lights on and off so easily. “What time is it?” They had no clock. No watches to tell them the time anymore. No bells to rule their schedule.
“Let’s see, when I left the counter it was almost eleven.” With a sigh, Christophe sat in the chair and bent to his boots. “That sad, pathetic woman, the one whose child drowned last year, well, she was there all evening, drinking coffee after coffee, and I just couldn’t help listening to her terrible stories of heartache.”
“Lemme help you with those.” Joe knelt before him and started pulling
