“You would never want my job.” She had to slam to a stop again. The anti-lock brakes kicked in and crunched.
After a second, Tom said, “I couldn’tdoyour job. No one in your department can do your job. The place falls apart when you take a vacation day.”
“Well, I just really like making things work.” Cherry had started crying. It was embarrassing. Railroad execs didn’t cry. Assistant department heads didn’t cry.
“Baby, I know... You’re allowed to like it.” Tom was giving her a soft look. When their eyes met, he nodded toward the road.
Cherry looked back at the car in front of her. “They’ll never give me a promotion.”
His voice was stern: “If they don’t give it to you, you can leave.”
Hers was strained: “Tom, I don’t want to leave!”
“You don’t have to! But you’re already doing the work. Get the title and the money and the bigger office. No one there—” She hit the brakes again. “Okay,” Tom said quietly, “I’m gonna need you to pull over.”
She was wiping her eyes on her coat sleeve. “What? Why?”
“Because...” His brow was furrowed. “I just... need to drive.”
“I can drive.”
“I know. But... I need to.”
“Tom, it’s not my fault that it’s snowing.”
“I know.”
“I’m doing fine. Am I not doing fine?” The anti-lock brakes engaged again, loudly. “They’re supposed to sound that way!”
Tom had both hands on the dash. “Cherry, I love you, but—”
“You love me,but?”
“—I’m a better driver than you!”
“Tom.That’s so sexist!”
He laughed. He was stressed. “It’s not sexist—it’strue. Let me drive, and you can talk, and we’ll get home in one piece.”
There was a gas station coming up. Cherry turned into the driveway. The car slid. She put it in park, got out, and left her door open. Tom got out, too. She didn’t look at him when they passed each other.
Tom got in and adjusted her seat. He’d never driven her car before. It took him a second to shift it out of park. Cherry didn’t say anything.
He moved them back onto the road.
The streets were as bad as Cherry had ever seen them. She felt smug when Tom had to hit the brakes. Then less smug when the car didn’t skid.
“You can talk,” he said without looking at her.
“I don’t have anything to say,” she said.
Tom didn’t push her.
Cherry watched the headlights in front of them. She watched an SUV slide right through a red light. Her teeth had been clenched in anger... She clenched them in fear.
The street in front of their apartment was the most treacherous. They got stuck for a few minutes. Tom kept rolling the car back and forth, and it finally broke free.
He parked the car outside their building, pulled the keys out of the ignition, then held them out to her. She took them.
