parked beside a pickup truck.
They had eaten dinner in Grants Pass, Oregon. Alfred tried to pay for his meal, but Don brushed his money aside and paid with a wad of bills he took from his pocket. Evidently he had won at poker.
Although they were all talking to each other by this time, nobody brought up the subject of what Alfred would do when they reached Crescent City. Would they dump him at the Greyhound bus station tonight? He decided that what will be will be and left his fate to the gods of chance.
“Would you mind helping us unload a few things?” Don asked Alfred.
That was a good sign. He would unload everything in the camper if they would let him sleep in the house tonight. That would give him all morning to figure out how to intercept Penny and Gary. He felt more optimistic now. Something would turn up. It always did. He was lucky that way.
Unloading wasn’t a big deal. They unloaded the perishable food and dirty sheets and pillowcases, but not much else. The camping equipment and some of the food stayed in the camper.
When they were finished, Mattie led him to a bedroom and said, “This is the spare room. You sleep here. We’ve only got one bathroom in this God-forsaken place, but when we’re finished with it, it’s all yours. I suggest you take a long, hot shower because those cold campground showers don’t cut it. I’m going to wash your clothes since you’ve only got one set, and I noticed that they’re starting to stink. You don’t want to offend the passengers on the bus. I’ll give you a bathrobe of Don’s to wear. I’ll have your clothes clean for you in the morning.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“Don’t mention it. Don has to go to work tomorrow. I have off till Monday. I’ll drive you to the bus station or wherever you want to go.”
Alfred had taken a quick shower at the Tetons, but the water had been cold and he hadn’t stayed under it long. While he was taking the first hot shower he had enjoyed in days, Alfred wondered whether Mattie was cleaning him up to have sex with him. If so, he would accommodate her. He was a man now, and men had responsibilities. It was time he stepped up to his. He went to sleep with a smile on his face.
CHAPTER 24
This must be some kind of a record, Gary thought as he looked at the Wittnauer watch his parents had given him at his college graduation. Six o’clock was probably the earliest they had risen on the whole trip, other than the morning they escaped from Alfred. They must be getting back into work mode. He didn’t want to do that quite yet. They still had three days to go on their honeymoon, including today, and he intended to enjoy them.
They quickly packed the car and were on their way by six forty-five, intending to eat breakfast along the road, probably in Klamath Falls where they would cross the route they had taken heading north. Then on to the California coast. The prospect of returning to California gave him the keen feeling of anticipation one has when something exciting is about to happen.
Penny must have sensed it too. She started singing, “California, here I come.” Gary joined in. What their voices lacked in quality they made up for in volume.
There was nothing like sleeping in a real bed. Alfred stretched and yawned luxuriously as he awoke. The sun streamed in through the white lace curtains on the window. He glanced idly at the small clock on the bedside table. It was almost eight o’clock.
Alfred jerked himself upright, instantly fully awake. He had things to do. He couldn’t sleep all day. He stood up on the hooked throw rug that covered a small section of the wooden floor that was painted green and glanced down at his stomach. He had slept in the nude. Why? That wasn’t like him. He fingered his bellybutton and looked around the sparsely furnished room for his clothes. They weren’t on the old wooden rocking chair or on the small dresser that had been painted and repainted many times. He spotted his shoes on the floor where he had carelessly thrown them. A bathrobe lay in a heap on the chair.
That prompted his memory. Mattie had said she would wash his clothes. He grabbed the yellow bathrobe, shrugged his arms into the sleeves, and tied the belt around his waist. He opened the bedroom door and was about to step through the doorway when he saw his clothes lying in a neat pile on the floor outside the room. In addition, there was a Gillette razor and some shaving cream, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
He placed his clothes on the bed. Then, taking the razor and shaving cream, he walked down the short hallway to the bathroom. He heard noises coming from the direction of the kitchen. Don and Mattie must be up. He shaved for the first time in several days and combed his hair with a comb he found in the cabinet. Returning to the bedroom, he dressed quickly.
An oval mirror hung on the wall over the dresser, in a gilt frame with a carved design that had once been fancy but now was chipped and cracked. He glanced at his reflection. He didn’t look bad, shaved and wearing clean clothes. If he had appealed to Mattie when he was dirty and bearded, he should appeal to her now.
Alfred made his way to the kitchen. There was an odor to the house that he associated with the old houses of New England. It was probably mildew. He put a smile on his face, rounded the corner, and stepped into the kitchen. Mattie was sitting at the small table at the far end of the room, reading a newspaper, and sipping coffee. She was dressed in slacks and a long-sleeved shirt. Don was not in sight.
Mattie looked up when he entered and said, “Well, Sleeping Beauty. I thought you were going to sack out all day.”
“The bed was comfortable.”
“Just about anything is more comfortable than the top bunk of the camper. You’re probably starving. Omelet okay?”
“Sure. Where’s Don.”
“Oh, he left for work hours ago. Sit down and have some coffee. Breakfast will be ready in five minutes.”
Mattie rose from the table, and Alfred sat down.
“I’ve checked the Greyhound schedule. There’s a bus at ten thirty, heading for Los Angeles. I can drive you to the station, although it isn’t far, and you could easily walk it. You don’t have any luggage to weigh you down.” She laughed.
“Thank you.” Now was the time. Alfred swallowed some coffee. It felt hot going down his throat. “I owe you a big apology for what happened the other night. I-I’m really sorry.”
Mattie stopped whisking the eggs and looked at him. “The other night? Oh that? I’ve already forgotten about it.”
“I feel terrible about it.”
“Don’t worry. I was too pushy. A lot of guys don’t like pushy dames. I owe you an apology for insulting you. I don’t know why your wife left you, but I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. You did need clean clothes, though. However, you smell as fresh as a changed and powdered baby now.”
“It was partly my fault. If there’s anything I can do to make up for it…”
She looked at him again. “Like what? Oh, you mean have sex now? I don’t cheat on Don at home. Couldn’t live with myself if I did.”
“But in the camper-”
“That’s different. The camper isn’t home. One reason we travel a lot is to relieve our itches. Both of us. You don’t think his problem bothers him? We have to get away from the burdens of home once in awhile before they get to be too heavy a load to carry.”
Alfred was relieved that she was turning him down. “Does Don drive the camper to work?”
“Naw, he drives the old pickup you saw in the driveway.”
“So you drive the camper.”
“I have another car. It’s in the garage. We reserve the camper for…camping.”
Maybe what he was thinking about was feasible. “This sure is beautiful country you have here. I’ve never been to this part of California before.”
“You should see the redwoods. The tallest tree in the world is close to here.”
