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Five miles to go, maybe slightly less. Late afternoon already. The sun had begun its downward descent. He wondered how fierce it would be when it reappeared tomorrow morning.
The undulations of the road were as cruel as ever here, but the end of his journey was in sight and he knew he didn’t have to conserve his energy for anything other than these last few miles. All he wanted was to see Sam again and hold her and tell her how much he loved her. All he wanted was to be with her when . . . he knew what was coming, but he still couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
Another steep climb sapped the little strength he still had. He took down his umbrella and used it as a walking stick to get over this next rise, feeling its metal tip sink into the soft tarmac. This stretch of road hadn’t lon
