After she’d pulled together essential things she’d needed, like her passport, tablet, satellite phone, smartphone, and Macbook Air, moving around their bedroom automatically, with unseeing eyes, somehow she’d manage to scribble a quick note to Tina, her hands shaking, her thoughts scattered. “You can keep the apartment. I just paid the rent for the rest of the year. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but don’t look for me. I’ll tell Kit much later on about my things. I don’t know when but you’ll hear from her.” She’d folded the note in a tent, and had left it on top of the blonde’s nightstand.

She’d tossed her keys to the apartment on the table by the door before she pulled the door shut, momentarily overcome by a wave of grief when she did so. She’d collected herself again, and took the elevator down to head back to the cab. As she’d sunken into the backseat of the cab, she’d asked him to take her to a hotel near Battery Park, and then shut her eyes, beginning to dissemble. A few minutes later, the dam broke, and she’d started sobbing uncontrollably.

Now in Acapulco, Bette looked at Raoul, who’d added that Carlos had almost begged Raoul for Bette’s phone number or other details where she could be reached in Acapulco. Raoul had waved him off, but decided to tell the brunette about Carlos’ interest anyway.

“Well, I don’t think I have any fascinations, Raoul,” as she drank from her wine glass, her mood heavy. She tried to muster a smile, and managed a small, ironic one. “Not any longer, anyway.” Tactfully ignoring what he’d just mentioned about Carlos’ interest, she turned from Raoul to look back at the bay, reflectively, as the sun began to set.

Raoul shook his head almost as sadly as Bette had, then he gingerly walked to the lounger a few feet away from her, holding on to his walking stick, before he sat down, refusing Bette’s offer to help while doing so. He liked to think he could get around with little help, and had bristled, at first, to Bette’s suggestion the other day that he consider hiring a professional, like a nurse, to be around the house.

Having sat down on the lounger, like her, he turned to rest his back against the lounger, and then stretched out. They fell into companionable silence as they enjoyed the commanding view of Acapulco Bay that their perch from the terrace afforded them.