it had been that way for almost four years . to put it another way , he 'd knocked in a dozen nails and tied the strings to them . now , i had been traveling alone for years , finding my own company quite pleasant . he let go of my shirt and i stepped back , pulling my phone out of the back of my jeans . yet here frank was , giving up on his own life , pressed up under a cannon . he tossed back his head and grinned . 