She didn't speak again for several minutes, and then she asked, "What
was your wife's name? " "Kathleen."
"It's a beautiful name. You loved her very much, didn't you, Daniel?
" "Yes, " he answered without hesitation. "I loved her. I still "Do
you think you'll ever marry again? " "No, " he answered.
"In time . . . " He shook his head. "Don't tell me that time heals.
" She didn't understand why he had suddenly become so antagonistic. "I
wasn't going to say that."
"Then what were you going to say? " "That in time you'll be able to
smile when you think of Kathleen and Bridget because you'll remember
the joyous times you had with them. The pain won't ever go away, but
it will lessen."
"How the hell would you know? " She tried to ignore his hostility. "I
don't know firsthand.
It's only a hope I have for you."
"It's hot in here, isn't it? " She agreed with a nod as she reached
over to unlatch the lock on the window. She pushed and prodded but
couldn't get the window up. "I think it's been sealed shut." Daniel
reached over, gave the frame one good push, and the window opened. A
hot breeze rushed into the compartment.
"Tell me, what was Kathleen like? " Grace asked.
"Why? " "I'm curious, that's all." Daniel propped his feet up on the
bench next to Grace, leaned back, and closed his eyes. His arms were
folded across his chest, and he looked as though he was going to
sleep.
"She was the complete opposite of you, " he answered. "In appearance
and in disposition."
"What did she look like? " "She was tall and had brown hair and brown
eyes, and lots of freckles, " he added. "She worried about her weight
all the time, but she didn't need to because she was perfect just the
way she was. Kathleen was a beautiful woman, inside and out. So was
our daughter. She looked just like her mother.
" Several minutes went by in silence before Grace asked another
question.
"How did you meet her? " "I stopped by her father's farm on my way
into Dillon, and she was working in the garden. She was down on her
knees pulling weeds with the sun beating down on her, and all she had
to do was look up at me and smile. I think I fell in love with her
then and there."
"I love to garden, " Grace said, believing that she and Kathleen shared
a common interest after all. "I had the most beautiful cutting
flowers, all the colors of the rainbow." Daniel shook his head.
"Kathleen's garden was filled with vegetables.
She was raised on a farm, and she didn't have time to grow flowers.
They raised crops so they could put food on the table. You were raised
in the city, weren't you? " "We had a house in the country too, " she
said. "We would go there when the heat in the city became
unbearable.
" He scoffed at the notion. "Kathleen wasn't privileged, and she sure