Maybe this time with all this much to lose and all this much to gain: Pennsylvania, Maryland, the world.
—William Faulkner

The rain had gotten worse by the time we’d reached Maryland. I had never experienced a sudden thunderstorm like this—not in the summer—but maybe they were common on the East Coast. I’d have to learn a whole new set of weather norms. It also occurred to me that I’d have winter for the first time too. I might even see snow.

But the rain was just hammering the car. Roger had the wipers turned up to full speed, and his headlights on, and still I could barely see the lines on the road in front of us.

“This is bad,” I said, handing him his glasses.

“Thank you,” he said, smiling without taking his eyes off the road and putting them on. He squinted out the windshield. “I keep hoping it’s going to let up, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.”

I looked to the food/gas/lodging signs on the side of the highway. It looked like we were going to hit a biggish town soon. And there were at least three hotels listed on the lodging sign. “You know,” I said, careful not to look at him, feeling my cheeks heat up, “this really does seem like tough going.”

“I know,” Roger said, shaking his head.

“So maybe,” I said, speaking quickly, “we should get off the road before it gets too bad. Find a cheap place to stay for the night.”

Roger looked over at me, then back at the road, a smile forming on his lips. “Really?” he asked. “Are you sure?”

“I am very sure,” I said, feeling myself smile as well.

“Can we afford it, though?”

“I think it’s possible,” I said. It would be barely possible, but doable. And if we did run out of gas, that’s what AAA was for. Roger looked over at me, and I nodded. He put on his turn signal and took the first exit.

After the Udells checked in, we headed to our room and opened the door with the key card. It was one of the least-nicest places we had stayed, but I didn’t care at all. The bed was king-size, and covered with what we had been assured by the front desk clerk was an authentic reproduction of a Pennsylvania Dutch quilt, from nearby Lancaster County. But I knew, and I was sure Roger knew, that the fact that there was just one bed meant something very different than it had before.

“I’m going to take a quick bath,” I said, trying to defuse the tension I suddenly felt in the room. “I feel like I haven’t had one in about a year.”

“Great,” Roger said, sticking his hands in his pockets, then taking them out and folding them awkwardly. It made me feel a lot better to see that he was nervous too.

I pulled my suitcase into the bathroom with me, not wanting to have to get ready in front of him. It was ridiculous, since after spending almost every waking minute together for as long as we had, Roger had seen me in every possible state, including first thing in the morning. But even though it didn’t make any sense, I wanted to look nice tonight. We had a inclusive dinner, after all. And it felt, to me, like our first date.

I took a long, hot bath, using the products I’d stolen from hotels across America. I blow-dried my hair afterward, being gentle with it. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but there didn’t seem to be quite as much falling out as there had been before. I dug through my suitcase, looking for something special to wear. Bronwyn had organized the suitcase by type of clothing—the T-shirts and tank tops were on top, and I’d mostly been sticking to them. But I was pretty sure I’d seen a dress folded along the bottom. I rummaged to the lowest layer, and there it was, all alone, taking up the length of the suitcase. I held it up, thankful one more time for Bronwyn and all she had given me. The dress was long and periwinkle blue with a sweetheart neckline. It was an incredibly soft material, and when I looked closer I saw that it had a slight sheen to it. Even though it was much, much too fancy for the hotel restaurant, it was exactly the right dress to wear tonight. As I pulled it out, I saw the green lingerie set that she’d insisted on giving me as well. I looked at the bra and underwear for a moment, then put them on.

I finished getting ready, putting on a little more makeup than usual, and even adding some mascara. Then I looked at my reflection one last time, took a breath, and stepped out into the bedroom.

Roger was sitting on the edge of the bed, and he stood up when he saw me. He had dressed up too, I saw. He was wearing khakis and a button-down shirt. “Hey,” I said. “You look nice.”

“You too,” he said, smiling at me.

I was about to brush this off, or tell him that it was Bronwyn’s dress, or make a joke. But I just smiled back and said, “Thank you.”

“Shall we?” he asked, holding out his hand to me. I took it, interlacing my fingers with his.

“Yep,” I said.