The Leftovers

holding his hand, staring up at the sky while he did his business, that sluggish river of cars crawling past, moving more slowly than a person could walk. When Doug caught up with them on the weekend, he’d seemed strangely cheerful, much nicer to her parents than usual. “Did you sleep there? In our bed?”
    Kylie looked mortified. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
    “It’s all right.” Nora gave a little shrug, as if nothing could hurt her anymore. Some days she actually felt like that. “I don’t even know why I’m asking you all these questions. It’s not like it matters anymore.”
    “Of course it matters.”
    “Not really. I mean, he left me anyway. He left both of us.”
    “Not on purpose,” Kylie said. She seemed pleased to be included.
    They both turned at the same time, startled by the rapid clop of footsteps in the otherwise quiet hallway. Nora knew it was Karen even before she burst into view, rounding the corner like she was late for class.
    “I’m fine,” Nora said, holding up her hand like a traffic cop.
    Karen stopped. Her gaze shifted warily from Nora to Kylie and back to Nora.
    “You sure?”
    “We’re just talking.”
    “Forget about her,” Karen said. “Come back to the dance.”
    “Just give me a minute, okay?”
    Karen raised both hands in a gesture of saintly surrender. Then she gave a little suit-yourself shrug and headed back toward the cafeteria, her heels tapping out a reproachful rhythm. Kylie waited for the sound to die out.
    “Is there anything else you want to know? It’s kind of a relief to tell you about it.”
    Nora knew what she meant. As distressing as it was to learn the details of Doug’s affair, it also felt therapeutic, as if a missing chunk of the past were being returned to her.
    “Just one more thing. Did he ever talk about me?”
    Kylie rolled her eyes. “Only all the time.”
    “Really?”
    “Yeah. He always said he loved you.”
    “You’re kidding.” Nora couldn’t hide her skepticism. “He hardly ever said that to me. Not even when I said it first.”
    “It was like a ritual. Right after we had sex, he’d get all serious and say, This isn’t about me not loving Nora. ” She uttered these words in a deep, manly voice, not at all like Doug’s. “Sometimes I said it along with him. This isn’t about me not loving Nora. ”
    “Wow. You must’ve hated me.”
    “I didn’t hate you,” Kylie said. “I was just jealous.”
    “Jealous?” Nora tried to laugh, but the sound died in her throat. It had been a long time since she’d thought of herself as someone other people could be jealous of. “Why?”
    “You had everything, you know? The husband, the house, those beautiful kids. All your friends and your nice clothes, the yoga and the vacations. And I couldn’t even make him forget you when he was in my bed.”
    Nora closed her eyes. Doug had been foggy in her mind for a long time, but all at once he was clear again. She could see him lying beside Kylie, naked and smug after fucking her, earnestly reminding her of his family commitments, his enduring love for his wife, letting her know that she could only have so much, and nothing more.
    “He didn’t care about me,” Nora explained. “He just couldn’t stand to see you happy.”
    *   *   *
    JUDGING FROM the careless way she was slumped against the locker, Kevin thought at first that Nora Durst might be asleep, or possibly drunk. As he got closer, though, he saw that her eyes were open and reasonably alert. She even managed a wan smile when he asked if she was okay.
    “Fine,” she told him. “I’m just taking a little break.”
    “Me, too,” he said, because that seemed more diplomatic than the truth, which was that he’d come to check on her after a couple of different people had reported seeing her alone in the hall, looking pretty distraught. “It’s kinda loud in there. You can barely hear yourself think.”
    She nodded the way you do when you’re not actually listening to the other person and are just waiting for them to go away. Kevin didn’t want to impose on her, but he also had a feeling that she could use a little company.
    “It’s great that you came,” he said. “It looked like you were having a good time. You know, earlier.”
    “I was.” Nora had to tilt her head at what looked like an uncomfortable angle to meet his eyes. “Earlier.”
    It was awkward looming over her like that, especially since it afforded him what felt