“You leaving today?” I asked, keeping my tone deliberately casual. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Murphy rubbing the back of his neck.
“The guy I was with last night…Leonard…well, you probably saw us on the sidewalk yesterday.” Murphy took a deep breath. “We were in the army together, and he…Well, he asked me to stay a little longer and talk about stuff from…back then.” That was the most information about himself he’d given me, voluntarily, since he’d arrived in town.
I stopped and faced him. “You sound hesitant about the whole thing.”
He turned to study the waves. “I never thought I’d see anyone from my unit again, and the memories…they’re painful.”
“He’s not forcing you to stay,” I ventured.
“No. It’s me who’s…You know what? It doesn’t matter anyway.” He started walking away a
