'What's that about?'
'Why don't you ask him, Annie?'
'I will.'
'He's a terrific guy. We've known him for ages. He and Mark went to the University of Michigan together.'
'Did you know his wife?'
Sarah was startled. What had Colin told her? She nodded, hoping Annie would clue her in.
'Was Colin driving the car?'
Obviously he'd said Nancy had died in an automobile accident. But what should she say now? 'Maybe you'd better ask him.'
'So that's why he can't be in a car with someone else.' It was said more to herself than to Sarah. 'What was she like?'
'Nancy? I don't know. I liked her, but I didn't know her that well. They lived in Chicago and we only saw them a few times a year. But when we did we had a lot of fun. And our kids liked their kids and…'
A look of surprise had come over Annie's face.
'Oh, shit. He didn't tell you about the kids, did he?'
'No. How many?' Annie asked quietly.
'Two.'
'They died with Nancy?'
'Yes.' At least that much was true.
'Oh, poor Colin.'
'He's suffered terribly.' After a moment Sarah said, 'I think it's great you're going out with him. For both of you.'
'Thanks. I have to admit I feel slightly nervous. It's been a long time since I dated. I've even found myself worrying about what I should wear.' She laughed. 'High-school time.'
'I don't blame you. I always hated dating, didn't you?'
'Loathed it.'
A knock at the door made Annie look at her watch. 'Just a minute,' she called. 'It must be Mrs. Ludwig, a little early.'
'I have to run anyway. If I don't speak to you before, have a good time Saturday. He's really an awfully nice person.'
It was not Mrs. Ludwig waiting in the hall; it was Burton Kelly. 'Burton, what are you doing here this time of day?'
He glanced at Sarah, then back to Annie, obviously not wishing to answer the question in front of Sarah.
'Never mind, come on in.'
Annie and Sarah said their good-byes. Inside her office, Annie told Burton she had a two o'clock appointment and asked him what she could do for him.
'I'm going to come right out with it, Annie. I like you very much and I always enjoy talking with you. Some of our talks have been very edifying. You're an amazing woman.'
'Thank you.' She felt extremely uncomfortable, wished she could deflect him somehow, but didn't see a way.
'I'm not just saying all this to flatter you.' Kelly's sandy hair lay in neat strands across his large head. 'I'm only trying to throw a little light on the subject. You know, of course, that I've never married?'
She nodded.
'People around here think it's because of my mother. Because I lived with and took care of her until she died.' He laughed, but it sounded like a snarl. 'Well, it's not true. I haven't married because I've never found anyone suitable to marry.'
Uh-oh, Annie thought.
'As you well know, the rate of divorce in this country is extremely high. I have no intentions of becoming one more statistic. Marriage is a very serious proposition. And I would never enter into it unless I was totally sure about the woman and my feelings for her.'
She had to say something. 'I think that's very wise, Burton.'
A thin film of sweat covered his forehead like a veil.
'Is it too hot in here?' she asked. 'Should I open a window?'
'Yes. Yes, that would be nice. But let me do it.'
Annie watched him move stiffly across the small room as if he were a robot. How could she keep him from saying what seemed inevitable? She felt helpless, out of control, and prayed Karen Ludwig would arrive.
'There,' Kelly said, 'much better.' His mouth twitched several times and he tried to pass it off as a smile. 'All right, where was I? May I sit down?'
'As I said, I have a two o'clock appointment. She's late but she should be here any second. Maybe you should come back later, as we planned.'
'I'd like to go on now. I'll come right to the point. I would be greatly honored if you'd have dinner with me on Saturday night.'
Annie was so relieved she almost sighed audibly. Then she realized that even though it was a dinner invitation instead of a proposal of marriage, she still had to reject him. 'That's very nice of you, Burton, but I'm afraid I can't.'
'Why?' he demanded, eyes growing cold.
'I have other plans.' Immediately she was sorry she hadn't made another excuse. This way would only allow him to ask for another time.
He smiled, showing small uneven teeth. 'Then Friday?'
'No. Sorry.' Before he could ask again she added, 'I don't think it would be a good idea, Burton.'
'What do you mean?'
She felt she must be forthright. 'I gather you mean to invite me to dinner in a-a romantic way. If I accepted, it would be unfair.'
'Is there someone else?'
Colin, she thought. Stupid. 'No, not really.'
'I never know what 'not really' means,' he said acidly.
'There's no man in my life at present.' That should be direct enough, she thought.
'Then why can't you have dinner with me?
'Because I don' t want to give you the wrong idea. I like you, but I'm not interested in you as anything but a friend.'
'How do you know?'
'I don't feel I have to go into all my reasons. I think you should accept my answer like a gentleman.'
His face folded, cheeks sucked in as if she'd slapped him. 'I see.' He moved past her to the door, stood with his back to her. 'Is it something I've said or done?'
For a moment she wanted to comfort him, but knew it might seem patronizing. 'No, it's not you,' she lied. She couldn't bear to hurt him further.
'Thank you,' he whispered, and left.
She felt terrible. In divinity school they'd talked about this sort of thing happening and how to handle it, but it was much different in reality. Burton Kelly was a living, breathing human being and she'd rejected him. She only hoped his fragile ego was left intact with her inference that the failure was on her part, not his.
Damn you, Bob, she thought. If you'd lived, this sort of thing wouldn't come up. I wouldn't have pathetic Burton Kelly asking me out. Then she thought, I wouldn't be having dinner with Colin Maguire either. For the first time since he'd asked her she knew she really wanted to go. The knowledge surprised her. And pleased her, too.
LOOKING BACK-75 YEARS AGO
One of the best and most successful conventions ever held by the W.C. T.U. of Suffolk County met in Seaville
