Summary

In the ninth story, “Beautiful Country”, Eric wants to stop at the roadside stalls selling jewelry and other trinkets. They are headed to see the sunset, but they are almost too late. The narrator tells Eric that they can see the sunset tomorrow, but he is determined to make it. They have taken multiple hiking trips over the course of their relationship and the narrator does not enjoy it nearly as much as Eric.

When they reach the sunset, “the canyon is in shadow, nothing like the gas station postcards I bought earlier showing a molten gold vista at sunset, three for a dollar. I tell myself to relax and enjoy the moment. I tell myself this will be the year that Eric gets his promotion, that I will find a better job, and we will get married at last. I tell myself...