Robin Paley, a Vietnam vet, and Hendrix Higgins, a former teacher who witnessed a school shooting, become trapped together during a storm in March of 2001, when Hendrix, now a computer tech, arrives to fix Robin’s only source of contact with the outside world.<br><br>Discovering they have much in common, an afternoon of bonding leads to more. When Robin admits he’ll never contact Hendrix again, however, a heated argument ensues. Hendrix fights hard to move on, while Robin seems to want to stay stuck.<br><br>They angrily part ways, Hendrix telling Robin to call him if he ever wants to live again. When Robin finally reaches out, he fears it may be too late. Has Hendrix moved on?

Herm I.T.

“What do you mean?” Robin went for a bowl.


“No fireworks, no mouse traps, no popcorn poppers for me.”


“Oh. Yeah.” Robin sat. “I never even thought about two of those. I think I’m just lazy.”


Hendrix managed another smile. “It’s not the sound for you?”


“It’s…it was…cumulative, I suppose. Everyone is well aware of mental disorders these days. There were no Zoloft commercials when we came home, no Internet stories on PTSD. No songs were composed for us, and no one threw a parade. Ours wasn’t the glamorous war, with USO performers and women drawing stocking seams up their calves. Vietnam wasn’t worthy of a sweeping John Leekley miniseries.”


“M*A*S*Hwas a great show. Really bold, really…real. A lot of people say it was actually about Vietnam, even though it was set in Korea.”


Chapter 10