it seemed so utterly abandoned and remote that imagining anyone ever living there seemed impossible . so just who were they , and what were they doing here ? of course , we talked a while before i put the truck in gear . `` in fact , you look a whole lot better altogether . he showed me his arm and traced a jagged brown seam . well , she planned to surprise him in the shower and change his attitude . she patted a napkin to dry her palm . he collapsed on top of me , breathing heavily . 