promised not to drive too fast—but kept her fingers crossed behind her back—and promised Aunt Lollie to try to cultivate a taste for eggs.
o0o
At last they were in the car, winding through the lane of oaks and kicking up dust as they headed home.
Yes, indeed
, she was happy it was all over, Ellen told herself. Then why did her heart feel lonesome? She kept her eyes on the road and tried not to think about that.
Dirk was strangely silent. She was afraid to look at him. She was afraid those black eyes would see right through her. She swore under her breath as a cow ambled across the road. Her tires squealed as she skidded to the side of the road and stopped.
"You don't keep promises very well, do you?" Dirk said. His dark eyes were crinkled at the corners with amusement.
"Some promises weren't meant to be kept. Go back to sleep or whatever you were doing." She took a deep breath and pulled back onto the road.
"Do you want me to drive?"
"Are you afraid of my driving?"
"No. I've always thought a few concussions livened up a trip."
"So have I."
He chuckled. "That just goes to show you."
"To show what?"
"How much we have in common."
"We have nothing in common except a penchant for lying. I've told so many untruths at this reunion that my conscience will hurt for a month."
"But it was all for a good cause."
"That's what I keep telling myself."
She made a left turn onto Uncle Mac's farm. After picking up Ruth Ann and Gigi and saying good-bye to Uncle Mac's family, the travelers began the long journey home.
o0o
For the most part it was a somber journey, the ending of an interval of make-believe. Only Gigi was in high spirits. Occasionally she cheered everyone up by insisting on singing a song that she had learned. It was a lively and rousing song with bawdy lyrics.
"Who taught her that?" Ellen asked, laughing, as Gigi sang with gorilla grunts and sign language.
"Those dreadful Wilcox twins," Ruth Ann said. Ellen thought that if her nose were pinched in any more she wouldn't be able to breathe.
"What's she saying?" Dirk asked.
"You don't want to know," Ruth Ann said.
"I’ll tell you sometime if I ever get up the courage," Ellen told him.
o0o
By the time they reached Ellen's cabin, the setting sun had turned Beech Mountain into a rose- colored picture postcard. Ruth Ann went inside to prepare Gigi's evening meal while Dirk and Ellen unloaded the car. Gigi picked a bouquet of golden- rod beside the road.
Ellen deposited her bag on the porch and watched as Dirk loaded his gear into Rocinante .
The charade was over. Time to get back to reality
. She reached for her billfold as he returned to the porch to say good-bye.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to pay you."
"No."
"No?"
"I didn't do this because of the money. I went with you because I wanted to."
"But I hired you to do a job. You upheld your end of the deal, now I'm upholding mine." She pulled the money from her billfold and held it out to him.
His hand covered hers. "It was not just a deal with me. It was a pleasure." He removed his hand and shoved it into his jean's pocket. "Don't cheapen what we had with money."
"What did we have?" she asked softly. The money was trembling in her hand.
"For the short time that we allowed ourselves to feel, we had an interlude of romance. Thank you, Ellen."
He turned abruptly and walked toward his car.
She watched him go. For a moment his shoulders sagged, then he lifted them and walked away in a show of jauntiness.
She lifted her hand and almost called him back. The words were there, waiting to be said, but she couldn't make them come out.
As Ellen watched, Gigi shuffled up to Dirk and handed him the bouquet of goldenrod. She signed,
Man stay. Gigi love
.
Dirk lowered his head and sniffed the flowers. "These are nice," he said. "Thank you, Gigi." To Ellen's amazement he signed
Thank you
. She hadn't been aware that he was learning American Sign
o0o
At last they were in the car, winding through the lane of oaks and kicking up dust as they headed home.
Yes, indeed
, she was happy it was all over, Ellen told herself. Then why did her heart feel lonesome? She kept her eyes on the road and tried not to think about that.
Dirk was strangely silent. She was afraid to look at him. She was afraid those black eyes would see right through her. She swore under her breath as a cow ambled across the road. Her tires squealed as she skidded to the side of the road and stopped.
"You don't keep promises very well, do you?" Dirk said. His dark eyes were crinkled at the corners with amusement.
"Some promises weren't meant to be kept. Go back to sleep or whatever you were doing." She took a deep breath and pulled back onto the road.
"Do you want me to drive?"
"Are you afraid of my driving?"
"No. I've always thought a few concussions livened up a trip."
"So have I."
He chuckled. "That just goes to show you."
"To show what?"
"How much we have in common."
"We have nothing in common except a penchant for lying. I've told so many untruths at this reunion that my conscience will hurt for a month."
"But it was all for a good cause."
"That's what I keep telling myself."
She made a left turn onto Uncle Mac's farm. After picking up Ruth Ann and Gigi and saying good-bye to Uncle Mac's family, the travelers began the long journey home.
o0o
For the most part it was a somber journey, the ending of an interval of make-believe. Only Gigi was in high spirits. Occasionally she cheered everyone up by insisting on singing a song that she had learned. It was a lively and rousing song with bawdy lyrics.
"Who taught her that?" Ellen asked, laughing, as Gigi sang with gorilla grunts and sign language.
"Those dreadful Wilcox twins," Ruth Ann said. Ellen thought that if her nose were pinched in any more she wouldn't be able to breathe.
"What's she saying?" Dirk asked.
"You don't want to know," Ruth Ann said.
"I’ll tell you sometime if I ever get up the courage," Ellen told him.
o0o
By the time they reached Ellen's cabin, the setting sun had turned Beech Mountain into a rose- colored picture postcard. Ruth Ann went inside to prepare Gigi's evening meal while Dirk and Ellen unloaded the car. Gigi picked a bouquet of golden- rod beside the road.
Ellen deposited her bag on the porch and watched as Dirk loaded his gear into Rocinante .
The charade was over. Time to get back to reality
. She reached for her billfold as he returned to the porch to say good-bye.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to pay you."
"No."
"No?"
"I didn't do this because of the money. I went with you because I wanted to."
"But I hired you to do a job. You upheld your end of the deal, now I'm upholding mine." She pulled the money from her billfold and held it out to him.
His hand covered hers. "It was not just a deal with me. It was a pleasure." He removed his hand and shoved it into his jean's pocket. "Don't cheapen what we had with money."
"What did we have?" she asked softly. The money was trembling in her hand.
"For the short time that we allowed ourselves to feel, we had an interlude of romance. Thank you, Ellen."
He turned abruptly and walked toward his car.
She watched him go. For a moment his shoulders sagged, then he lifted them and walked away in a show of jauntiness.
She lifted her hand and almost called him back. The words were there, waiting to be said, but she couldn't make them come out.
As Ellen watched, Gigi shuffled up to Dirk and handed him the bouquet of goldenrod. She signed,
Man stay. Gigi love
.
Dirk lowered his head and sniffed the flowers. "These are nice," he said. "Thank you, Gigi." To Ellen's amazement he signed
Thank you
. She hadn't been aware that he was learning American Sign
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