I went out walking because of the heat, with the clear intention of following a hillside trail I already knew. The day was bright and dry, the kind that invites movement. I wore a lightweight button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, half open to l...

The day was bright, with that clear sky that comes after several days of rain. The air smelled of wet earth and damp leaves, and the two friends, in their thirties, walked along the paths of the allotment, their beers still thrumming in their heads....