"Pointed out of the window at the sky gone black; kid, you're on the right track." His tears may have dried up, but she was still stroking her fingers against his cheek and down his jawline, and there was a stinging in her own eyes now. "If I send you postcards from the side of the road, photographs of moving parts about to implode..."

Her voice faltered just a touch. How fitting. She got it under control with a breath.

"If I crawl to keep it together like you say you know I can do, to transmit the moment from me to you... Wouldn't mama be proud?"

Yeah, okay, maybe she'd teared up a little bit.