Actually, he didn’t notice the cold until he moved, but when he tried to get up, he realized just how stiff his body was. Frozen stiff. Last night, after he had returned to the car, he had run the engine with the heater on high until the interior heated up, not caring how the noise affected the people in the adjoining campsites.
That warmth had allowed him to go to sleep. It had long since dissipated. When he made it to a sitting position, he considered what to do first. Based on yesterday’s experience, that was obvious. He walked to the nearby restroom, trying to ignore tempting odors of food and drink wafting from nearby campsites. He had nothing to eat with him, except the remains of a bag of peanuts.
Since Penny’s campsite was on the other side of the campground, there was no chance of running into her or Gary. He washed his hands and face in the icy tap water, wet his hair, and ran his fingers through it. He took handfuls of water and reached up under his clothes to wash his armpits, in lieu of using deodorant. The cold shocked his body into full wakefulness.
Then, ignoring the inquisitive looks of a couple of other men who had the unkempt and slightly soiled appearance that campers always had, he placed his mouth under a faucet and drank as much water as he could consume. He could picture all manner of stuff dissolved in the metallic-tasting liquid, but it might be the only breakfast he would get.
Alfred returned to his car, walking among the tall pine trees and inhaling their fragrance. It reminded him of a trip his family had taken to the White Mountains of New Hampshire when he was a boy. Some of the sun’s rays found their way through the foliage, descending to the earth in parallel lines. They were heating up the air. The campground was alive with activity. Children ran about, and adults drank coffee at their picnic tables. His hunger pangs returned. He must stop thinking about eating.
He was faced with immediate decisions. Should he drive to their campsite and risk having them notice his car, or should he walk? He was quite sure he could walk the distance in five minutes by daylight, now that he could see where he was going. That also meant five minutes getting back to his car when they left.
Neither alternative was appealing. He drove to the entrance, instead. Once there, he parked his car near the office where several other vehicles sat, keeping his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. After a few minutes he remembered that he had seen some snack food for sale in the office last night.
He got out of the car and covered the few feet to the door of the office at a trot. Once inside, he glanced out of the window every few seconds as he picked out several bags of chips and nuts and paid for them. Back in the car, he opened a bag of chips and started to munch on them. With his other hand, he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a map.
Alternately looking at the mirror and the map, he ate with one hand and used the other hand to hold the map as he tried to figure out where they might be headed. The minutes dragged by, and no VW appeared. Why was he so sure they were still in the campground? A map of the campsites was posted in front of the office. He had at least been smart enough to note the number of their campsite last night. He got out of the car and found the number on the map. It was close to the entrance.
He walked along the side of the narrow campground road, keeping out of the way of the vehicles of families who were departing to explore exotic Lake Tahoe, or gamble in the Nevada casinos. He spotted the green car through the trees. No need to go any closer. He saw Penny as she walked around the car, and his heart gave a bound. She was dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt. She and Gary were packing up. Their tent had disappeared. Only a stove remained on the table. They were about to leave.
Alfred scurried back to his car. Within five minutes the VW appeared in his rearview mirror. He started his car as the other one rolled by. It paused at the campground entrance and then turned onto Route 50.
Route 50 went north along the east side of Lake Tahoe, into Nevada, and east through a mountain pass to 395. If they continued north on 395, they would come to-Reno. An awful thought occurred to Alfred, not for the first time. They might be going to get married. But all he could do right now was to keep them in sight.
“ Well, here we are in Reno.” Gary drove the car slowly along Virginia Street. “What do we do now?”
“ Uh, find a place to get married.”
“Shall we stop at a phone booth and look in the yellow pages?”
“That won’t be necessary. Look.”
Gary followed Penny’s pointing finger and saw the freshly painted white building to their right. A sign on it read “Park Wedding Chapel.” A red neon sign that said “Weddings” emphasized its purpose. A fake spire at the top of the building enclosed another neon sign with the outline of a bell.
Gary parked on a short street in front of the chapel. Penny remembered to take her sweatshirt off before she got out of the car. Gary put a few coins in the parking meter, and they walked hand in hand up four steps and through the front door of the chapel. They entered a small room with red, patterned wallpaper on the lower part of the walls. The carpet was also red. The rest of the room was painted white, including a number of doors.
The smiling receptionist sat behind a counter. Her hair and clothes were as immaculate as her surroundings. She told them that they could get married as soon as they obtained a marriage license.
“ The courthouse is closed for lunch. It opens again at one o’clock. It’s right across the street. I suggest that you wait by the entrance so that you’ll be able to get your license when it reopens. Then you can come back here and get married.”
“Just like that,” Gary said. Events were moving very rapidly.
“ Just like that.” Her sympathetic look said that being a little nervous was par for the course.
“Where can we change our clothes?” Penny asked.
“Right here in our dressing rooms. I suggest you change right now before you go to the courthouse.”
“They’ve thought of everything,” Gary said, as he and Penny walked back to the car. Even to locating the chapel across the street from the Washoe County Courthouse, an impressive building, complete with Greek columns and a dome.
“ This is exciting.” Penny carefully removed her dress and Gary’s suit from where they were hung up inside the car.
Gary took his suit from her. “Look out, world. Here we come, ready or not.”
Alfred was frozen. This time it wasn’t cold air; it was the events that were happening right before his eyes. He sat in his car, parked on the street to the side of the chapel, and kept his eyes on the front door. In a few minutes, Penny and Gary would come through that entrance, and when they did they would be married.
He’d watched as they’d made their initial foray into the chapel, his car partially shielded by another car parked on the other side of the street. Shortly after, he saw them come out, get their wedding clothes out of the car, and return to its hallowed depths. There could be no doubt as to what was happening. Why couldn’t he do something? Many times he had pictured himself getting married to Penny. Standing at the altar, watching her walk down the aisle bathed in light, beautiful in white. Now it was happening, and he wasn’t the one at the altar. He was watching from the window of a car.
What could he do? Should he go running into the chapel and break up the wedding? Carry the bride off in his arms and escape with her the way young Lochinvar did in the poem by Sir Walter Scott? His car would be his steed. She wouldn’t resist; she would understand that they were meant for each other.
If that were true, why hadn’t he had the courage to speak to her since he’d been in California?
It was too late for regrets. It was time for action. He got out of the car, leaving it unlocked for a fast getaway. As he shut the door, he glanced at the sleeve of his grungy sweatshirt. That would never do. He impatiently took off the offending garment and threw it into the backseat. The T-shirt he wore underneath wasn’t quite as grungy. Penny would understand. When they got married, he would look elegant.
He forced himself to stride briskly to the chapel and up the four concrete steps before he lost his nerve. He opened the glass door and walked inside. Then he stopped short. The reception area was small, but a number of closed doors ranged along the walls. It was a rabbit warren.
He turned to the receptionist, sitting behind the counter, who anticipated him and asked, “May I help you?”
