“You can’t keep doing this forever, you know.”

“Heads, 27.”

“Look, I still have to say the words.”

“Do what you gotta do. Heads. 27.”

“Just… Ok, listen. I’m not supposed to do this, but if time worked like you think it works, then we’ve been doing this for literally two centuries.“

“It’s not enough. I’ve given it a lot of thought, going heads this time. 27 years old. April, 2003.”

“Alex, I need you to actually listen to me. She won’t remember you. She never does. All those other lives, the ones that keep you up at night, those are yours. Not hers. Each time you reset, she’s still the same. That glioblastoma is already forming in her brain. It’ll still bring me to her on the same schedule, 12 years into your marriage. Then she gets a coin toss, same as you.”

“I don’t need your therapy, I need you to flip that quarter in your stupid skeleton hand. Heads. 27.”

“Al, this isn’t right. Do you know how many universes you’re spinning off every time we do this?”

“Good. If there’s an infinite number of universes, then there’s one out there where she lives.”

“… I’m pretty sure that’s not how this works.”

“And even if she doesn’t, we still get another run. Last time we made it to Australia, got to dive the Great Barrier Reef. She saw a whale shark in the wild. This time I want to finally knock hang gliding off her list.”

“Al, Ellie is scared of heights. In every universe.”

“Which is why it’s on there, she wants to overcome it. But I wouldn’t expect you to know anything about fear.”

“I think it’s safe to say I know more about fear than any being that’s ever existed. Fear, and hope.”

“Ok, that’s fair.”

“But you’re still going through with this. Again.”

“Why, do you have a date? Let’s get on with it, flip the coin.”

“Whatever makes you happy.”

“Her. She makes me happy. Heads, 27.”

“Heh.”

“What?”

“That’s almost exactly what she said about you.”