When he first moved to Stamford, he was always covered in bruises. During his first week, Josh asked if he was hurt, and Jim couldn’t believe that his pain was so obvious. Then he remembered the black and blue marks on his legs and shoulders. He stopped rolling up his shirtsleeves after that.

Jim was so used to living with a roommate that he’d become accustomed to getting ready for sleep and work quietly in the dark. It was part of his routine.

In his new apartment, he kept stumbling over unfamiliar furniture and banging into doorframes. He didn’t mind the pain. He hardly felt it really. It was better than turning on the lights, and really seeing his new life.

When he moved back to Scranton and into his old house, Jim thought he’d stop banging into things.

He didn’t.

Karen said once that if she didn’t know better she’d think someone had beaten him.

He told her that he bruised easily. It didn’t matter. He didn’t mind living in the dark.

But Karen has a habit of turning on the lights.