Chapter One
Washington, D.C.
June 20
He paused at the top of the moving stairs and looked down to where it
was dark. That was the way home. Maybe tonight, if he arrived at a decent
hour, it would be different. No arguments. No shouting about where he
had been, about why he never was around, about the money for this, the
money for that, about her loneliness, her disappointment. And none of
the silence that followed, during which they realized there was nothing
else to shout, say, or whisper.
Other commuters pushed past as he considered. He watched the steps
appear out of nowhere. Do it, a voice said—a voice from an earlier day.
Break the pattern. Put one foot forward. Descend to the train. Stride
through the townhouse door sooner than expected, carrying flowers,
wine—do it, he thought. Everything might change. He pictured her at
home, fixed in anger, blaming him for all of it. Waiting for the moment
when ... read full excerpt from Deep Background ebook
