He sighed, just leaning there for a second, but eventually he pulled away, shaking his head.

"It ain't gonna be fixed, Bobbie." He leaned for the bottle again, pouring himself another drink. "We ain't- we ain't compatible. For a long time I thought that was somethin' I could change, that if I just - I don't know, got it out of my system - that I'd be able to be someone else. But I ain't. We got together when I was still in the navy, and I spent my whole damn time bein' split in two. But as soon as I finished my twenty, actually settled in to settle down..."

He shook his head, setting the bottle back down.

"Honestly, a good part of me is relieved, to know that it's over. ... Even if that makes me a bit of an asshole." He swallowed, looking at the picture. "But if they're dead, I--" he cut off, the words tight in his throat.