Jack would watch Laura walk down the shoulder and back to the car. She would always stop at the same spot. Line twenty-three. Michael Jordan’s number. Why twenty-three? After a while he wanted to scream from his seat in the car for her to go farther just for the sake of doing something different, but he held his tongue. She was habitual that way. Her gait shortened with each passing turn and he could see the exhaustion setting in on her. This silent sufferer.
After the initial tongue lashing when Jack got back to the car from his first exploration, the couple passed a few hours talking lightly. Conversations flow that way in times of distress. Lightheartedness is the way of the mind to buffer the soul from impending doom, until it can no longer hold back the dam. Then the darkest thoughts flow in, wiping away all hope and courage. Jack held out longer than Laura, but he eventually succumbed to reality.
At different times he would look over at Laura and see her quietly crying.