convince him to return to the path. The wrangler had said to let the horse know what he wanted him to do, but Gary must have missed the lesson on how to accomplish that.
He tried not to panic as he pictured Goldie falling over with him underneath. He didn’t want to become a paraplegic on his honeymoon. Just about the time he was wondering whether it would be less risky to jump off the horse than to stick it out, Goldie came to his senses and made his way back down to the path. As the tension left him, Gary contemplated what people did for love.
Penny and the others were smiling as if the whole thing were a big joke, but Gary was never so glad to see their destination, a table at a cove on Jackson Lake, laden with all kinds of good food-breakfast. With a backdrop of blue water and snowy mountains under a cloudless sky, they couldn’t have picked a more scenic place to eat.
Alfred had been promoted to the front seat of the camper. He protested, saying that the front seat belonged to Mattie, but she said she’d rather sit in back and knit.
“You men can talk about male things. I have to finish knitting this sweater for my niece. You can read a map, can’t you, Alfred?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, you’re the navigator.”
So Alfred became the navigator and front seat companion for Don as they headed over Teton Pass toward Idaho. He wasn’t sure what to talk to Don about. That man had proved to be taciturn last night as he lined up his empty beer cans on the table of the camper and methodically whipped Alfred at backgammon. Alfred only managed to get through one beer during the evening.
Alfred did find out that Don had been in the navy during the Korean War and was wounded-he was vague about exactly what part of him-but he didn’t receive the wound in battle.
When it was time for them to go to bed, Alfred struggled to get himself onto the top bunk, which didn’t have much headroom. Once there, he was pretty much sealed in for the night, but the bed was a lot more comfortable than trying to sleep outdoors or in the car-and a lot warmer too.
Don didn’t have much to say about his naval experiences or about the lumber business, and he didn’t ask Alfred any questions about his life. By trial and error, Alfred found that the best topics to discuss were where they were going and how to get there. Don also opened up a little and talked about the places he and Mattie had been. It appeared that they had camped practically everywhere in the western United States, including Alaska.
Alfred studied the map and asked Don whether they had been to Craters of the Moon National Monument.
“Not for many years. Yeah, we got time to see it. It’s just a big fuckin’ lava flow. Makes you wonder what would happen if the area started erupting again. They got a scenic drive there, makes you think you’re on the moon.”
Alfred wondered how people knew what the surface of the moon looked like, when nobody had actually set foot on the moon.
Penny and Gary stopped at a motel in Idaho Falls in early afternoon to “recover from the horseback ride and the rigors of camping,” as Penny put it. “I appreciate you going on the ride with me. I really enjoyed it.”
“I’m sore. You wouldn’t think just sitting on a horse would do this to you.”
“Your muscles get stretched in ways you’ve never experienced. You get used to it if you ride every day.”
“I don’t intend to find out.”
“I loved the fall colors we saw going over Teton Pass. I guess that means we’ll have to go back to work soon.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“Stopping early will give us a chance to do some washing and ironing and write wedding announcements for the newspapers back home.”
“I’ll write the wedding announcements.”
“You’ll do what I tell you to do.” Penny tackled him onto the motel’s double bed.
“Ouch. Be careful of my legs.”
“I’ll take care of you.” Penny climbed on top of Gary. “Show me where it hurts.”
Don pulled into a campground not far from Boise. Alfred suspected that he had a nose for finding nice campgrounds. Maybe he had been here before. They set up camp, which wasn’t difficult to do when you didn’t have to pitch a tent. When Mattie started cooking dinner, Don wandered off somewhere.
Alfred assumed he was going to the restroom, so he helped Mattie prepare the dinner.
“Do you play cards?” Mattie asked.
“I’ve played some pinochle.”
“How about poker?”
“A little.”
“If you’re not real experienced, you might want to pass if Don finds a game.”
“A game?”
“Yeah. That’s what he’s doing-looking for a poker game for tonight. Those old guys who can’t do much else, they really like to play cards. Campgrounds are hotbeds of vice. They’ll take your money, too, if you’re not good. ”
“Don’s not so old.”
“No, but sometimes he acts like he’s ninety. I don’t worry about him playing poker. He’s sharp enough so that he usually wins. It gives him something to do at night.”
Alfred wondered what Mattie meant by some of the things she said about Don. She was hinting at something, but he wasn’t sure what. Don eventually came back with a grin on his leathery face and asked Alfred if he played poker.
Having been clued in by Mattie, he said, “Not very well.”
“Good reason not to play tonight. Mattie will be pissed if I drag you into a game and you lose all your money.” He didn’t seem unhappy that Alfred wasn’t going with him.
And so it happened that when they finished dinner, Don walked off to his poker game, leaving Alfred and Mattie behind. After they cleaned up the dishes, Mattie went to the restroom. Alfred climbed into the camper, away from the cooling air. He wondered what he could do until bedtime. Mattie had her knitting. He had noticed several pocketbooks lying around. Maybe he could find one to read.
He was leafing through a Perry Mason mystery written by Erle Stanley Gardner when Mattie returned to the camper. She stepped inside and slid the door shut. Now they were alone together in close quarters. Alfred was sitting at the small table, with his back to the front of the camper. He felt vaguely uncomfortable. Mattie took off her jacket and sat on the backseat, facing him.
She had changed her shirt. She was wearing a white blouse with two or three buttons unbuttoned at the top. Alfred could see a hint of cleavage in the V of the blouse. She had also combed her short hair, and something looked different about her face. He decided that she had put on lipstick. She didn’t look bad at all.
“So what do you think?” Mattie asked, posing for him.
“I like your hair.” He thought it was a lame compliment.
“Thank you.”
She seemed pleased. “These card games go on forever. Don won’t be back until the wee hours of the morning.”
Why did she tell him that? Alfred felt more and more uncomfortable.
“I’ll let you in on a secret about Don if you promise not to tell anyone.”
Alfred wasn’t sure he wanted to hear a secret, but he mumbled, “Promise.”
