I broke in, “You seem too smart to have bought into all this,” I observed. “You had wheels and a job. You had friends. Why didn’t you get out?”
“Yeah, crap. I know,” she said dejectedly. “Let’s set up a game board and let people buy guesses as to how many times I asked myself that question. What can I say? His mother is the sweetest lady I have ever known. His sister was a close friend growing up. We were buds back home in a world where nobody wanted anything to do with either of us. We started this adventure together. I just kept hoping I could fix it. Sure, given a chance at a do-over…” I nodded, and she continued, “At this point right now, I’m mad. I’ve got an investment here. Billie Joe owes me. He has to make this right.
Anyway, one night Billie Joe rushed into the house and told me
