she said she forgot something at the car and slipped her little shoes on and didn’t bother to tie the lace. legs up the stairs and hand on the doorknob. cold air and the collapsing of her lungs as she lowered the seat and she spilled loudly into the empty car. passing lights and the sudden urge to reach up and pull open the sunroof, she didn’t. everything turned black: her hands, the tiny napkin, behind her eyes, under her fingernails her untied shoes (she came close to death) and the digital clock stopped for about twelve minutes.

she thought all time had stopped and he would never climb down the stairs to find her in the cold.