seemed to release the tension in her, and she stumbled up the last few steps into his office.
When he helped her out of her coat he saw that the rain had soaked through her black silk blouse to her skin. He grabbed his sheepskin-lined jacket from the coat rack, slipped it over her shoulders and guided her to a chair. Bonnie appeared with a blanket, making profuse apologies about the straw stuck to it, and Ethan wrapped it around Annette's legs. He pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket, thrust it into Bonnie's hand and told her to go across the street to Carl's Liquor and get a pint of whisky.
After she left Ethan pulled his chair to Annette's and sat down, taking her hands in his. They were icy and he gently pressed them between his own.
Her body was shaking convulsively and her teeth were chattering.
"Take a deep breath, then tell me what happened."
She nodded, inhaled deeply and looked up at him. "I was late picking her up. She wasn't there. Nobody saw where she went. She's not at home. She's not at Nell's. I've looked all over."
"Annette, this is Cottonwood Falls. Kids don't just disappear..."
"It can't happen again, can it?"
"What do you mean?"
She looked away.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, God..."
"Could she have gone over to play with a friend?"
"Nobody's ever invited her to play. I wouldn't know who to call."
"Doesn't she have riding lessons after school with Jer?"
"Thursday. Jer picks her up on Thursday. This is Tuesday."
Ethan thought for a moment, then rose and found his cell phone on his desk. He called a number and while it was ringing looked over at Annette. Her eyes were hanging on him.
"Jer, buddy. Hey, you haven't seen Eliana this afternoon, have you?"
He listened, a smile of relief washing over his face. He nodded reassuringly to Annette.
"Yeah, well, I guess she didn't get the message. We've got one worried mom over here."
Bonnie showed up with the whisky just then and Ethan motioned for her to set it down. She threw him an inquisitive look and quietly left.
"Yeah, sure. I'll tell her. Thanks, Jer." He hung up and turned to Annette.
"He said he called yesterday and left a message with your dad. Jer won't be home Thursday. Said he'd pick her up today instead. I guess your dad forgot to tell you. Jer has her working in the indoor arena. He'll bring her home in about an hour."
Annette stared at him blankly.
"She's okay. Nothing to worry about."
Ethan poured some whisky into a coffee mug and when he turned around to her she had her hands over her ears.
"The music," she said. "I can't stop the music."
Ethan set down the mug and gently peeled her hands away from her face.
"There isn't any music."
He held her hands tightly in his for a long moment. Then he picked up the mug again.
"Go on, drink."
This time she took it and drank a little.
"What were you doing out in the rain like that? Why didn't you just drive over here?"
There was terror in her eyes.
"This is about something else, isn't it?"
She nodded faintly.
"What happened, Annette?"
Ethan waited patiently. She took another long drink of the whisky and waited while its warmth began to swim through her veins. It calmed her and she reached for his hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Her touch electrified him. He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again her hands were back in her lap, clasping the mug.
"It's a long story," she said.
"I have all the time in the world."
As she began to talk about the tragedy she had kept buried for so many years, the last wall between them crumbled. Until then neither of them would have acknowledged that they were falling in love; but love had been waiting for this moment, like some souls eagerly await their appointed hour of terrestrial birth, knowing full well it means renunciation of harmony and peace.
Chapter 15
Annette was only twenty-three and David Zeldin was over forty that evening when he settled her on the sofa in his Tel Aviv
When he helped her out of her coat he saw that the rain had soaked through her black silk blouse to her skin. He grabbed his sheepskin-lined jacket from the coat rack, slipped it over her shoulders and guided her to a chair. Bonnie appeared with a blanket, making profuse apologies about the straw stuck to it, and Ethan wrapped it around Annette's legs. He pulled a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket, thrust it into Bonnie's hand and told her to go across the street to Carl's Liquor and get a pint of whisky.
After she left Ethan pulled his chair to Annette's and sat down, taking her hands in his. They were icy and he gently pressed them between his own.
Her body was shaking convulsively and her teeth were chattering.
"Take a deep breath, then tell me what happened."
She nodded, inhaled deeply and looked up at him. "I was late picking her up. She wasn't there. Nobody saw where she went. She's not at home. She's not at Nell's. I've looked all over."
"Annette, this is Cottonwood Falls. Kids don't just disappear..."
"It can't happen again, can it?"
"What do you mean?"
She looked away.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, God..."
"Could she have gone over to play with a friend?"
"Nobody's ever invited her to play. I wouldn't know who to call."
"Doesn't she have riding lessons after school with Jer?"
"Thursday. Jer picks her up on Thursday. This is Tuesday."
Ethan thought for a moment, then rose and found his cell phone on his desk. He called a number and while it was ringing looked over at Annette. Her eyes were hanging on him.
"Jer, buddy. Hey, you haven't seen Eliana this afternoon, have you?"
He listened, a smile of relief washing over his face. He nodded reassuringly to Annette.
"Yeah, well, I guess she didn't get the message. We've got one worried mom over here."
Bonnie showed up with the whisky just then and Ethan motioned for her to set it down. She threw him an inquisitive look and quietly left.
"Yeah, sure. I'll tell her. Thanks, Jer." He hung up and turned to Annette.
"He said he called yesterday and left a message with your dad. Jer won't be home Thursday. Said he'd pick her up today instead. I guess your dad forgot to tell you. Jer has her working in the indoor arena. He'll bring her home in about an hour."
Annette stared at him blankly.
"She's okay. Nothing to worry about."
Ethan poured some whisky into a coffee mug and when he turned around to her she had her hands over her ears.
"The music," she said. "I can't stop the music."
Ethan set down the mug and gently peeled her hands away from her face.
"There isn't any music."
He held her hands tightly in his for a long moment. Then he picked up the mug again.
"Go on, drink."
This time she took it and drank a little.
"What were you doing out in the rain like that? Why didn't you just drive over here?"
There was terror in her eyes.
"This is about something else, isn't it?"
She nodded faintly.
"What happened, Annette?"
Ethan waited patiently. She took another long drink of the whisky and waited while its warmth began to swim through her veins. It calmed her and she reached for his hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Her touch electrified him. He closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them again her hands were back in her lap, clasping the mug.
"It's a long story," she said.
"I have all the time in the world."
As she began to talk about the tragedy she had kept buried for so many years, the last wall between them crumbled. Until then neither of them would have acknowledged that they were falling in love; but love had been waiting for this moment, like some souls eagerly await their appointed hour of terrestrial birth, knowing full well it means renunciation of harmony and peace.
Chapter 15
Annette was only twenty-three and David Zeldin was over forty that evening when he settled her on the sofa in his Tel Aviv
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