hesitating before embarking on a long-planned trip.
“Hello,” Adrienne finally said.
“Hello.”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Yes you are. You’re watching me.”
Wilf turned to look at her, her face floating in some faint reflected light. “Is that what you’re thinking? No. I have a difficult time sleeping, that’s all, so I drive around.”
“I know who you are.”
“I introduced myself the other day. When I bought that sweater. Is that what you mean?” Wilf waited. “Or do you mean, you know who my father is?”
There was no discernible reaction.
“I’m not blind.” Adrienne turned toward him. Her eyes were hidden in two dark whirls of shadows. She looked blind.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you watching in the hotel.”
Wilf glanced toward the extension across the street. The blind had been pushed aside, a pale face was pressed up against the shadowy window.
“And now here you are again,” Adrienne said.
“I guess I’m not as inconspicuous as I thought.”
“Are you curious? Is that what it is?”
“Curious?”
“Yes. Curious. About me?”
Yes, Wilf thought, Jesus Christ, yes.
Adrienne turned her small body toward him. She’d only taken the time to throw her coat loosely over her shoulders and as she moved it pulled open a little. In the dark there was no telling what she had on. Or didn’t have on. “Is it true?” she said.
“Is what true?”
“About that crazy will. Did Sam actually give that will to your father?”
It was all Wilf could do, to keep his eyes on her face. “Yes.”
“But I thought it was a joke. It was supposed to be a joke. I told him to throw it away.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want anything!”
“You don’t?”
“No! That’s what his son was going on about, too. He’d gotten the idea from somewhere that Sam had left everything to me. He was really being nasty about it. And then you came in pretending to be interested in buying a sweater.”
“And that’s when you knew it had to be true.”
“That stupid will! I couldn’t believe it. I just thought it was another one of his jokes!”
Wilf looked up at the window again. Her boyfriend was still there. “Was that the first time you’d heard he’d died, Adrienne? When Frank Cruikshank came into the store? You were putting on a brave face.”
“You were the one who found him. Weren’t you? You were putting on a brave face, too.”
“So I suppose you don’t want to be the beneficiary of his will?” Her eyes were still hidden. His hand ached to slip inside her coat.
“Can I refuse to accept it?”
“You could sign everything back to his family, I suppose. Probably there’d have to be an exchange with some kind of reasonable value. Otherwise you’d be contravening his last will and testament.”
Adrienne smiled her quiet smile. “You’ve become obsessed about something. Do you want to tell me what it is?”
“It seems an exceptional will, that’s all. You’re not a relative. And it’s a large estate.”
“Is there something wrong with it, I mean legally, besides that it’s going to an O’Dell? Is there anything else wrong?”
“It’s not wrong. That it’s going to an O’Dell.”
“Do you know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think that you, Wilf McLauchlin, have a dirty mind. It’s all in your filthy dirty mind, what you’re thinking.”
“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”
“Yes, I do.”
Adrienne pulled back from him a little, her eyes moving out from the shadows now. Wilf was surprised to see that they were red and swollen. She looked like she’d been crying for days.
“I’ll tell you what it was since you’re so curious. And then maybe you’ll stop following me. He was kind. That’s all. Like a father. More than my own father ever was. And I ran errands for him and I did all the little things I could think of just to make his days easier and happier. Because he actually cared for me. And that was all
“Hello,” Adrienne finally said.
“Hello.”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“Yes you are. You’re watching me.”
Wilf turned to look at her, her face floating in some faint reflected light. “Is that what you’re thinking? No. I have a difficult time sleeping, that’s all, so I drive around.”
“I know who you are.”
“I introduced myself the other day. When I bought that sweater. Is that what you mean?” Wilf waited. “Or do you mean, you know who my father is?”
There was no discernible reaction.
“I’m not blind.” Adrienne turned toward him. Her eyes were hidden in two dark whirls of shadows. She looked blind.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you watching in the hotel.”
Wilf glanced toward the extension across the street. The blind had been pushed aside, a pale face was pressed up against the shadowy window.
“And now here you are again,” Adrienne said.
“I guess I’m not as inconspicuous as I thought.”
“Are you curious? Is that what it is?”
“Curious?”
“Yes. Curious. About me?”
Yes, Wilf thought, Jesus Christ, yes.
Adrienne turned her small body toward him. She’d only taken the time to throw her coat loosely over her shoulders and as she moved it pulled open a little. In the dark there was no telling what she had on. Or didn’t have on. “Is it true?” she said.
“Is what true?”
“About that crazy will. Did Sam actually give that will to your father?”
It was all Wilf could do, to keep his eyes on her face. “Yes.”
“But I thought it was a joke. It was supposed to be a joke. I told him to throw it away.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want anything!”
“You don’t?”
“No! That’s what his son was going on about, too. He’d gotten the idea from somewhere that Sam had left everything to me. He was really being nasty about it. And then you came in pretending to be interested in buying a sweater.”
“And that’s when you knew it had to be true.”
“That stupid will! I couldn’t believe it. I just thought it was another one of his jokes!”
Wilf looked up at the window again. Her boyfriend was still there. “Was that the first time you’d heard he’d died, Adrienne? When Frank Cruikshank came into the store? You were putting on a brave face.”
“You were the one who found him. Weren’t you? You were putting on a brave face, too.”
“So I suppose you don’t want to be the beneficiary of his will?” Her eyes were still hidden. His hand ached to slip inside her coat.
“Can I refuse to accept it?”
“You could sign everything back to his family, I suppose. Probably there’d have to be an exchange with some kind of reasonable value. Otherwise you’d be contravening his last will and testament.”
Adrienne smiled her quiet smile. “You’ve become obsessed about something. Do you want to tell me what it is?”
“It seems an exceptional will, that’s all. You’re not a relative. And it’s a large estate.”
“Is there something wrong with it, I mean legally, besides that it’s going to an O’Dell? Is there anything else wrong?”
“It’s not wrong. That it’s going to an O’Dell.”
“Do you know what I think?”
“What?”
“I think that you, Wilf McLauchlin, have a dirty mind. It’s all in your filthy dirty mind, what you’re thinking.”
“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”
“Yes, I do.”
Adrienne pulled back from him a little, her eyes moving out from the shadows now. Wilf was surprised to see that they were red and swollen. She looked like she’d been crying for days.
“I’ll tell you what it was since you’re so curious. And then maybe you’ll stop following me. He was kind. That’s all. Like a father. More than my own father ever was. And I ran errands for him and I did all the little things I could think of just to make his days easier and happier. Because he actually cared for me. And that was all
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