Jack sighs and puts down the paring knife. "Babe. Listen. I'm never going to grow old. I know this, and sometimes it sounds great, and sometimes it feels like a curse. I try not to think about it, which is why I build things and read and watch films down at the bar. There's so much to catch up on.

"It's the best I can hope for. And it beats an afterlife of . . . nothing."