The phone rang at the Landry farm at twenty minutes past eight on Saturday morning. Keith was in the kitchen making coffee, and he answered it. "Hello."
"Keith, I have to speak to you."
He shut off the coffeepot. "Are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm at a pay phone in town. Can you meet me someplace?"
"Of course. Where?"
"I thought maybe the fairgrounds. There'll be no one there today."
"Then we don't belong there. Listen, you remember Reeves Pond, south of my place?"
"Where we used to skate."
"Yes. Get some bread or something and go feed the ducks. I'll be there in twenty minutes. Is everything okay?"
"Yes. No." She said, "You have a rifle. I saw it..."
"Yes, okay. Are you safe now?"
"Yes, I'm all right. I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. He's suspicious..."
"Twenty minutes." He added, "If you've been followed, go feed the ducks anyway, but leave your car door open as a signal. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Take it easy." He hung up, went upstairs, and opened the wardrobe. He found his binoculars, then took two full magazines and put one in his pocket. The other he slammed into his M-16 rifle, pulled back on the charging handle, and chambered a round.
He slung the rifle and the binoculars, went downstairs and out the front door. He crossed the road and ran to the Jenkins barn.
Within five minutes, he'd saddled and mounted the mare, gave her a slap, and rode her out through the open paddock gate, across the road, and into the woods.
He ducked as the mare picked her way through the trees and down the slope toward the shallow streambed. He reined her around, and they headed south downstream, toward the pond.
A hundred yards from where the stream came out of the trees, he reined her in, dismounted, and tied her to a sapling.
Keith continued on along the bank and stopped in the shadows of the last trees, a few yards from the sunlit shore of the big pond. There was no car parked on the grassy slope that descended to the pond on the far shore, and, in fact, there was no one in sight.
The only road was a few hundred yards further to the south, and he couldn't see it because it lay on the opposite side of the rise, but now and then he saw the top of a big rig go by.
He looked at his watch. It was a quarter to nine. He wondered what had happened between the time he'd seen her two nights ago and now.
At a few minutes to nine, he saw the nose of a car crest the rise, then descend through the high grass toward the pond. But it wasn't a Lincoln, it was a Ford Fairlane, which was what the Spencerville police used for their marked and unmarked vehicles, purchased no doubt from Baxter Motors.
The car, which bore no police markings, stopped at the edge of the grass where the muddy shore began, and Keith raised his binoculars. The driver's-side door opened, and Annie got out, wearing a red skirt and white blouse. She stood beside the open door a moment, looked around, then closed the door.
She walked down to the water's edge, carrying a loaf of bread. Keith watched her as she absently ripped open the wrapper and threw whole slices into the water. A few dozen ducks and geese swam toward the floating bread. Every few seconds, she looked over her shoulder.
Keith let a few minutes pass, then walked out of the tree line and waved to her.
She saw him, threw the loaf down, and hurried along the shore toward him as he came around to meet her.
As they drew closer, he saw by her expression that she was anxious but not terrified. She smiled and sprinted the last ten yards and literally jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around him. "Hello, Mr. Landry."
They kissed, then she slid down and took his hands. She said, "It's good to see you." She glanced at the barrel of the rifle rising above his shoulder and said, "Maybe you didn't need that."
"I'm just out varmint shooting. Let's walk into the woods."
They walked side by side along the shore, and she glanced back a few times. She said, "I don't think I was followed. I brought my Lincoln in to Baxter Motors this morning and said I had a knock in the engine. They gave me a loaner. The damned Lincoln sticks out like a sore thumb around here. I think that's why Cliff's father gave it to me."
He smiled and said, "Sounds to me like you have had a few affairs."
"No, sir, but I've given some serious thought to how I would go about it. How about you, wise guy? Leave the car door open if you've been followed."
"That was my vocation. My avocation was tennis." He asked her, "Did Aunt Louise blow it?"
"Sort of. But it wasn't her fault. Cliff made it his business to stop by and see her and, for some reason, she told him I had dinner with her, and he asked me what I had for dinner."
"The devil is in the details."
"You can say that again. I'm just not good at this, Keith. Anyway, he's suspicious. He's always suspicious. This time, he's right."
They reached the trees and walked along the bank of the stream. It was cooler out of the sunlight, and the trees, mostly birch and willow, were just starting to turn. Keith had always liked autumn in the country, the trees ablaze with color, pumpkins and cider, the hunting season, and the harvest. He hadn't seen anything like it anywhere else in the world, and perhaps more than summer, it was the autumn that he thought of when he thought of home.
Annie tapped him on the shoulder and pointed up ahead. "Is that your horse?"
"It's a loaner horse. The Jenkinses' across the road."
"So that's how you got here. Are they still following you?"
"Maybe. I didn't want to find out today."
"Can't you get a court order or something?"
"I sort of enjoy the attention."
"I don't." Annie walked up to the mare and patted her neck. "This is a nice animal. We used to ride. Remember?"
"I do. You still ride?"
"No. But I'd like to." She took off her shoes and slipped off her panty hose, then untied the reins and led the horse around to drink from the stream. "She's thirsty."
Keith unslung his rifle and binoculars and laid them on a tree stump. He sat on a fallen trunk and watched her.
Annie asked, "Has she been fed?"
"I fed her about seven. No one's fed me yet."
She laughed. "Bachelors are so dumb. If you move their plates six inches to the left, they'd starve to death." Without looking at him, she asked, "Who took care of you all these years?"
"Uncle and Amex."
She glanced at him as she led the horse up the bank and tied the reins. "Did you have a good life, Keith?"
"I did."
"I did, too, despite my marriage. I learned how to enjoy other things."
"You always found something good in any situation. I was always looking for the dark lining in the silver cloud."
"Not always. You acted more cynical than you were."
"You read me too well."
"Well enough." Still barefoot, she walked to where he was sitting and lay down along the length of the trunk, her feet in his lap. "They're cold."
He dried her feet with his handkerchief and rubbed them.
"Feels good."
"How are we doing for time?"
"Who cares?"
"We do."
"Oh, we're all right. I'm doing Saturday errands around town. He's fishing up at Grey Lake in Michigan with his cronies. We have a hunting lodge there. He won't be home until late afternoon."
"You're sure?"
"The only thing he enjoys more than bothering me is fishing and hunting with his friends." She thought a moment and said, "God, I hate that place, but I'm glad he likes it. Keeps him away... we can be together when he's there."
"Do you go with him?"
"Sometimes." She added, "The few times we went up there alone, without the kids or without company, he was another person. Not necessarily better, and not actually worse... just another person... quiet, distant, as if he's... I don't know... thinking of something. I don't like to go up there with him alone, and I can usually get out of it."
"Okay, so what happened?"
She closed her eyes and, as he massaged her feet and calves, she said, "Well, we had a little scene at dinner last night. First, about the dinner being burned." She laughed. "I did it on purpose."
"You sound like fun to live with."
"No comment. Anyway, then he tried to trap me about dinner at Aunt Louise's, then we got onto the subject of Wendy in a coed dorm, then we got to Keith Landry, the guy who fucked me for six years — quote, unquote — and who's now living down the fucking road, then he tried to trap me again by asking if I'd seen you. I figured he already knew, so I told him I bumped into you at the post office."
Keith nodded and said, "Good thinking."
"Well, it didn't improve his mood much. He's still very angry and suspicious. That's what I wanted to tell you. But I guess you know that." She said, "He told me he came out to your place yesterday."
Keith didn't reply.
She took her feet out of his lap, sat up, and slid over beside him on the trunk. She took his hand. "I'm sorry. You don't need this."
"Annie, when I got in my car in Washington and drove here, I knew where this was headed. And I also knew what I wanted here."
She squeezed his hand. "But you didn't know the whole situation."
"The only thing I had to find out was how you felt."
"Keith, you knew. You had to know how I felt."
He smiled. "Your letters could have been read by your aunt and my aunt without a blush."
"My letters? You signed yours 'Sincerely.' "
"I did not." He added, "I meant 'Love.' "
They sat for a while listening to the stream, the horse snorting, the rustle of the leaves and the birds. Finally, she said, "You understood, didn't you, that I still loved you, and I was waiting for you?"
"I understood. But I may never have come."
"I always knew you would." She picked up a twig and scratched it around on the ground. She said, "But if you didn't, then there was no one else." She wiped her eyes, and, still looking at the ground, she took a deep breath and said, "Oh, God... I thought you'd get killed, I thought you'd get married, I thought you'd stopped loving me."
"No."
"But why did you wait? Why?"
"I don't know... I mean, right after I left, we were both angry at something... then, before I went overseas, it occurred to me that I might get killed, or lose a leg or arm, or something..."
"If I was your wife, I would have taken care of you. If I was your widow, I'd have honored your memory."
"Well, you didn't need any of that. Then, when I got home... I don't know... we couldn't connect. Then you got married, and I hated you, then I hated myself, then the years just went by... the letters came, they didn't come... you had children, you had a life... I could picture you here with friends and family... you never wrote much about your marriage..."
"You never wrote a word about how you felt."
"I did."
"You never wrote a word about us."
"Neither did you."
"I tried... I was afraid. Afraid the letters would stop."
Me, too.
She wiped her eyes again and tried to smile. "We're idiots. We used to talk about everything, then, for over twenty years, we couldn't even say 'I love you' and 'I miss you.' "
"I know." He thought a moment, then said, "You know, it's twenty-five years this month since we said good-bye in your apartment in Columbus."
"I know. Hard to believe." She put her hand on his leg. "After you left, I cried for weeks. Then I got myself together and buried myself in schoolwork. I didn't date..."
"It's all right. Really."
"Let me speak. So, anyway, I started to realize that... I started getting angry at you... and when women get angry, they get spiteful."
"I didn't know that."
She punched his leg. "Listen. So I went to see this campus shrink, and he was helpful. He said that I was manufacturing an anger toward you because it was the only way I could deal with the possibility of losing you to another woman, or of your getting killed. He said I really loved you, and I should tell you."
"I don't remember that happening."
"Because you never got that letter. I ripped it up. Then I wrote it again, and I ripped it up. I did that about a dozen times. Then I realized I was still angry, I was hurt, I felt betrayed. I remembered a line I read somewhere — men who are happy at home do not go to war."
"But even happy men get restless."
"Well, but you weren't there to tell me that. And when you called, you sounded distant."
"You, too."
"I know. I hate telephones. So I got myself all worked up, and I decided to see other men. I want you to know, Keith, I never loved any of them. Not the way I still loved you. In fact, not at all." She laughed and said, "I got dumped by all of them. They all had the same complaints. Annie, you're cold, stuck-up, selfish, self-centered, and so on. I was none of those things. I was in love with another man."
"You don't have to tell me any of this."
"Sure I do. So I went to Europe, to get away, and I was stunned by the beauty — I mean, where had I been? Spencerville, Bowling Green, and Columbus. And every time I saw something that moved me, I'd say, 'Keith, look at that. Keith, isn't that beautiful?' " She put her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands. "I'm sorry... I haven't cried in years, and I've been crying for weeks now."
"It's okay."
She found a tissue in her pocket and blew her nose. "Okay... so then I came home, and my cousin was getting married, and I was her maid of honor, and at the reception I met Cliff Baxter."
"I heard that from someone who was there. I also heard from my mother that you got engaged to him, and that I was a fool."
"Your mother was right. So was my mother. She told me not to marry him. Funny thing is that my father liked him at first. Most guys seemed to like him, and a lot of women did, too. The women liked him because he had a new car every year, he had some charm, and he was good-looking. He still has a new car."
"Annie..."
"Quiet. So I was still sort of inexperienced with men, and I couldn't judge... I thought, well, there'll never be another Keith, but Cliff is the boy next door, Cliff has a responsible job, Cliff is draft-exempt, and the other guys are married, or in the Army, and Cliff always liked me. Can you imagine such narrow, immature, small-town thinking?"
"Sure. This is who we were, Annie."
"Yes, it was. So... he asked me to marry him... down on one knee, if you can believe that... I was flattered, I was feeling low about myself, I was stupid."
Keith asked her, "Annie, why did you marry him? Really. You have to know it, and you have to say it."
She glanced at him, then stood and replied, "To get back at you."
He stood also, and they looked at each other.
She said, "You bastard. Do you know what you did to me? Do you know? I hate you. I hate what you did to me, what you made me into, what I did because of you."
"I know. Feel better?"
She nodded.
He took her hand, and they sat on the edge of the stream and watched the water. She said, "Thank you. I do feel better."
"Me, too."
She said, "I don't hate you anymore."
"Maybe just a little."
"No, I don't. I'm angry at myself."
"So am I. But I think we can forgive ourselves if we do it right this time."
She asked him, "And you're sure you aren't still angry with me? I mean for the way I treated you when you went off to the Army and for marrying Cliff?"
"Well, I was. You know that. But I came to understand it a little. I mean, we never wrote about it, but just the act of writing and keeping in touch was sort of our way of saying we both made mistakes, we both regretted what had happened, and we were sort of apologizing, forgiving, and still loving — without saying 'I'm sorry, forgive me, I love you.' " He added, "I'm glad you decided to bring it up. I'm glad you feel you can talk to me."
"I do. You're the first man I've called a bastard since... well, since you — that time you had lunch in the student union with that little bitch, whatever her name was."
"Karen Rider."
"Bastard." She laughed.
They watched the rippling water for a long time, thinking their own thoughts, then Annie said, "It's peaceful here. I used to take the kids fishing at the pond. I taught them to skate there. I think you'd like them. They take after me."
"That's good."
"They're not actually kids anymore, are they? They're very mature."
"Then they're doing better than us. We don't want to grow up."
"We grew up. I want to be a kid again."
"Why not? Pick an age you like and stick with it. That's my new motto."
She laughed. "Okay, twenty-one."
"Well, darling, you have the body for it."
"You noticed. I'm the same size as I was in college. I'm very vain about my looks. Very shallow."
"Good. Me, too. By the way, you looked good in jeans the other night. What are you dressed for today?"
"Well... he wants me to dress when I go into town. I can't even go to the public pool and be seen in a bathing suit. One time he came by the high school where I was taking an aerobics class, and he got one look at what I was wearing in a coed class and he freaked out, so now I work out at home... sorry. You don't want to hear this."
"Are you allowed to have sex with a horseman you just met in the woods?"
"That happens to be one of my recurring sexual fantasies."
"Good." He stood and looked around. "A little rough here."
"Oh, be inventive, Keith. Here — we'll do it on that log." She took his hand and led him back to the big fallen trunk they'd sat on. She took off his shirt and laid it on the log. "Sit. No, first you have to take your pants off."
He pulled off his shoes and then his jeans as she undid her blouse and bra. She slipped her panties off under her skirt and said, "We shouldn't get completely naked in case someone comes by. I can say I'm picking mushrooms, and I don't know who you are."
"Good thinking. Well..." He sat on the trunk, still wearing his shorts, and Annie, still wearing her blouse, bra, and skirt, held his shoulders and threw one leg at a time over the log, then lowered herself into his lap. She put her hand under her skirt, found him, and slid it in. "Oooh... that's nice..."
She wrapped her arms around him, and he steadied himself with his hands on the log. He said, "We're going to fall backwards."
"So what?" She rested her head on his shoulder as she moved up and down on him. "Oh... that feels... different... how are you doing?"
"Just fine."
"Are we going to fall?"
"No, I've got it."
She pressed her breasts against his bare chest as she moved slowly up and down on him, then quickened her movements and began breathing harder. She suddenly stiffened and climaxed, and he ejaculated.
Her body went limp in his arms, and she held him loosely as she caught her breath. After a minute, she said, "I feel like such a whore. It feels great. How do we get out of this position?"
"Wait for a forest ranger." He put his arms around her, stood, and stepped away from the log. She slid down from him, and they embraced and kissed. He said, "That was very nice."
"I had fun." She put her hand on his groin and said, "We have to clean you up."
"I like to wear it."
"Is that so?" She picked her panties up, wet them in the stream, then cleaned him off and cleaned herself. "There. Can't go around sticking to things."
"You're funny."
"I feel funny. Giddy." She threw her panties in a bush. "I feel like a kid. I haven't done this outdoors since high school. Next, we'll do it in your barn, then the backseat of my car."
"Maybe we'll get a motel room."
"That, too."
He picked up his pants, but she said, "No. Take off your shorts. I've never seen a naked man in the woods. I wish I had a camera. Your socks, too."
He slid off his shorts and socks. "You're embarrassing me."
"Turn around." She came up behind him and ran her hands over his back and buttocks, squeezing his cheeks. "You're all muscle."
"You been in jail, or what? Can I get dressed?"
"No, turn around."
He turned around, and she moved her hands over his chest and down to his stomach. "I told you, I can't keep my hands off..." She looked at his stomach. "What's that?"
"A bruise."
"Oh..." She hooked her bra and buttoned her blouse. He got dressed.
She went back to the streambank and sat in a patch of sunlight near the water, her back to a willow tree.
Keith came and sat beside her.
Annie threw twigs in the water and watched them run downstream, cascading over the stones. She asked, "What happened when he came out to your place?"
"About what you'd expect."
"Tell me."
"Well, he was a lot crazier than the situation required, so I had the thought that he'd found out about your visit to me, and I was... I was really worried for a minute there. About you."
"Thank you."
"But he sort of had the drop on me, and I was a little worried about me, too. Then I realized he didn't know anything, but that he was just nuts."
"Was he alone?"
"No. He had one of his men with him. A guy named Ward. You know him?"
"Yes, he's my keeper." She added, "Cliff led me to believe he was alone."
Against his better judgment, Keith replied, "If he was alone, he'd be dead."
She didn't speak for a while, then said, "He's a coward and a liar."
"He's also dangerous, Annie. You have to be careful."
"He's never hit me. I know how to handle him."
"Your kids are gone, his job is in trouble, I'm in town, and he's ready to blow. Believe me."
She asked him, "How do you know his job is in trouble?"
"I went to that meeting at St. James. You know about that?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, my parents were there. They've been acting weird since then. I guess the subject of Cliff Baxter came up, but no one will tell me about it. Will you tell me about it?"
"No."
She thought a moment, then said, "I'm not completely naive. I know he fools around, but I can't believe that came up at a public meeting."
"Tell you what — there's a transcript available. You remember Jeffrey Porter?"
"Yes. I run into him once in a while. And his wife, Gail. That was the girl he was seeing at school."
"Right. I've caught up on old times with them. In fact, I trust them, and if you ever need anything and you can't contact me, go to them. I'll speak to them and set it up."
"Keith... no. I don't want anyone else knowing about us. It's too dangerous."
"Listen to me, I know when to bet my life on someone. These are trustworthy people. But go and speak to them first, and let me know what you think."
"Okay... and they have a transcript of the meeting?"
"They do. He called me yesterday. They're selling it all over town for five bucks, and they can't keep up with the demand. But for you, it's free."
"Keith, what's in the transcript? Will I be embarrassed, humiliated, or both?"
"I'm sorry, Annie. They got a little carried away with witnesses against your husband. But you shouldn't feel embarrassed or humiliated. You may, however, be angry."
"Actually, I don't care anymore."
"Go see the Porters. We may need their help."
"With what?"
"Rendezvous. Cover stories."
"And how long will we need cover stories?"
He took her hand. "That's up to you, Annie. Are you ready to leave?"
She looked at him. "Are you proposing, Mr. Landry?"
"Yes, I am, Miss Prentis."
"I accept."
He put his arm around her, and they rolled over, with her on top of him. She kissed him, then said, "It took you a while to get around to it."
"I'm shy."
"You are, you know. You may be a man of the world, but you're still shy."
"Don't tell anyone."
She said, "You've changed, Keith. Of course you have — but I still know you."
"You haven't changed much. I still like you."
She snuggled on top of him, and they lay together on the sloping bank. He thought she drifted off, but then she said, "When?"
"When what?"
"When can we elope?"
"Oh... well, what do you think about just moving into my place?"
She rolled off and knelt beside him, looking down at him. "We can't, Keith. This is not Washington. People don't just change partners here. They run off. They always run. They have to. You know that."
"I know. But I don't like to run, Annie."
"There is no other way." She added, "I'll go with you anywhere you want. But not here."
"Okay... but I'm going to speak to him first."
"No. He'll get violent."
Which was exactly what Keith wanted. He said to her, "He and I should talk, man-to-man and all that."
She stared down at him a long time, then said, "Keith, look at me."
He sat up and looked at her. "Yes?"
"Promise me you won't hurt him."
Keith didn't reply.
She put her hands on his shoulders. "I know he hit you, and I know you're not the kind of man who's going to forgive or forget that. But you don't have to settle the score. Let it go. For me."
Again, Keith didn't reply.
She said, "Please. Let God or Spencerville deal with him. We don't need that as part of our history." She added, "He's Tom and Wendy's father."
"I promise I won't kill him."
She looked at him and said, "No violence of any sort, Keith. Please. Not even the beating he deserves." She took his head in her hands and said, "There's nothing worse you or I can do to him than what we're about to do. Leave it at that."
"All right. I promise."
"I love you." She leaned forward and kissed him.
He stood and said, "Let me walk you back."
"Let's walk in the stream."
"Okay." He pulled off his shoes and socks and left them on the bank, rolled up his jeans, and slung his rifle over his shoulder while she gathered up her panty hose and shoes.
They walked down the stream toward the pond, hand in hand. She said, "I need a week to get my affairs in order. Is that too long?"
"Not after twenty-five years."
She squeezed his hand. "Where will we go?"
"Do you have a passport?"
"No. But I can apply for one."
"Not at this post office, you can't."
"No, I can't. I'll go up to Toledo."
"We'll go to Washington first. Bring all your personal papers."
"Okay. I've never been to Washington."
"What city did you like best in Europe?"
"Rome."
"Rome it is."
"Are you serious?"
"If you are, I am."
She thought a moment, then said, "I am."
He glanced at her and asked, "Do you understand what it means to leave home?"
"No, but if I'm with you, I'm home. How's that for lovesick?"
"I know the feeling. But have you thought about what it's like to miss your children, your family, and community?"
"Yes. I've thought about that. But it's time I did something that Annie Prentis wants to do."
"And your job? Do you still manage the hospital thrift store?"
"Yes, and I like it, but it's hardly challenging." She added, "It's a husband-approved job. No men, no money, no weekends, flexible hours, and down the street from his office."
Keith nodded. "I saw it when I was downtown."
"Would you mind if I worked?"
"You can do whatever you want."
"Can I work long hours in an office, bring work home on weekends, and go on business trips with men?"
"Don't push it, Prentis."
She smiled and squeezed his hand.
They continued through the ankle-deep stream, picking their way around the stones, and Keith liked the feel of the silt on his bare feet and her hand in his.
Annie said, "Maybe someday we can return to visit."
"Maybe."
"And how about you, Keith? This is your home, too. Did you want to stay?"
"I did, but I knew I couldn't. But maybe someday."
She thought awhile, then said, "If... he wasn't here..."
"What would he do if he got sacked?"
She replied, "He wouldn't stay. He couldn't. He'd be humiliated. And too many people secretly hate him." She thought a moment, then said, "You know, if Mrs. Baxter runs off with another man, he may actually be embarrassed enough to resign and leave town. Then we can return if we want to."
Keith nodded, then asked her, "Where would he go?"
"Grey Lake. In fact, that's where he said we were going if and when he retires." She smiled. "That may be sooner than he thinks. Only, he'll be going alone. He knows he can't stay in Spencerville as the ex-chief of police."
"You mean there'd be no more testimonial dinners at the Elks Lodge?"
She glanced at him, then said, "I guess you read about that in the papers. God, that was one of the worst nights of my life." When he didn't respond, she said, "Did that make you jealous?"
"I had some unhealthy emotion or another. Couldn't figure out what it was."
"Well, sweetheart, I thought about you all that night and wondered what you were doing on a Saturday night. Do you know how many Saturday nights I wondered where you were after we first separated?"
"I was having fun in basic infantry training." He added, "I stood in long pay phone lines on Saturday nights to call you. You weren't in."
"I sure was. But I wasn't going to answer it." She added, "Pride and stubbornness are sins, and we paid for them."
"We did."
"Jealousy is also a sin. I'm not jealous, but... you know I called you from the Elks Lodge. I just wanted to hear your voice that night. But you weren't in."
"I went to the high school and shot some baskets, then got home around nine, took a very cold shower, and went to bed."
"Good. Did you dream about me?"
"Probably. I know that the first thing on my mind every morning is you."
"Me, too."
They got to the edge of the trees where the stream widened and flowed into the big pond. They climbed the bank and looked out over the grassland and water. There were other cars parked near Annie's now, and a few bicycles lay in the tall grass.
Keith watched a few kids floating on a big rubber raft and saw two older men fishing. Two mothers with toddlers were playing with toy boats at the water's edge.
It was a placid pond with a mirrored surface, but now and then a small fish broke the water, sending out concentric ripples. Dragonflies hovered over the water and cattails swayed in the breeze. There was a clump of pond lilies near the shore whose sweet roots could be cooked and eaten, and Keith wondered if kids knew about that anymore.
Reeves Pond didn't look much different than Keith remembered it on any warm Saturday thirty years before, except that there used to be a lot more kids; the organized-activity generation, maybe the last of the Huckleberry Finn-type kids who cooked lily root and chewed smartweed, and fished with bamboo poles and used old inner tubes for floats, and annoyed small animals and adults with slingshots, and got around on iron bikes that weighed more than they did.
Annie asked, "What are you smiling about?"
"I was just remembering that the guys used to skinny-dip here on hot summer nights. We smoked cigarettes, drank beer, and talked about girls."
"I know. We used to lie in the high grass up there and watch."
"You did not."
She laughed. "We did. Twice. We couldn't see too much, but we all said we did."
"Why didn't you join us?"
"We probably should have. One night we were going to steal your clothes, but we got chicken."
"Well, I'll tell you what — some summer night you and I will come back here and go skinny-dipping."
"It's a date."
They stood quietly awhile, not wanting this time to end. She said, "This is probably the last weekend of warm weather."
"Yes, I can smell a touch of autumn."
"Me, too."
They watched the people around the pond, then Keith said, "You know Pastor Wilkes at St. James, don't you?"
"Yes."
"I spoke to him the night of the meeting at St. James."
"How is he?"
"Old, But still in there pitching."
"What's he pitching?"
"Sliders and curves."
"Meaning?"
"He advised me not to covet my neighbor's wife."
"Did he? Well, if he means Mrs. Jenkins or Mrs. Muller, that's very good advice. But I guess he was referring to me. How embarrassing."
"He likes you. He didn't seem to be judgmental toward me, but he advised me to wait until you get a divorce. Then I can covet."
"He really said that?"
"He did. He's an old romantic underneath it all."
She thought about this, then said, "I didn't think you'd go to anyone, not even a pastor, for advice."
"As a matter of fact, I didn't. He broached the subject."
"You mean he knew about... how would he know?.."
"From your pastor, the Reverend Schenk. I'm only telling you this in case you thought about going to Pastor Schenk for advice or absolution, or something."
"I... I have discussed my marriage with him." She hesitated, then said, "To be honest, I spoke to him about you."
"Did you? Did you tell him you had sexual fantasies about me?"
"Certainly not." She laughed. "Not in so many words."
"Well, if you speak to him again, he'll tell you what Wilkes told me — get a divorce and, meantime, do not commit adultery."
"A little late for that."
"Also, these things do get around."
She nodded. "I'm friends with Pastor Schenk's wife, Marge... what else did Pastor Wilkes tell you?"
"I can't say, but with all their good intentions, they know too much."
"I'll be careful." She looked at him and said, "One week from today, Keith."
"One week from today."
She sat down on the ground and untangled her panty hose. "Can you dry me off?"
He knelt beside her and dried her feet with his shirttail and helped her put her panty hose and shoes on. He said, "Where're your underwear?"
"Lost 'em." She put out her hand, and he pulled her up. She said, "Good Lord, look at me... I'm covered with leaves, my clothes are dirty..." She laughed. "Looks like I just had sex in the woods." She brushed herself off and smiled. "Do you think I should go home before I go grocery shopping? Hello, Mrs. Smith, yes I did have sex in the woods, as a matter of fact. A tall stranger on horseback. How are the carrots today?"
Keith smiled. "You're having fun, aren't you?"
"Yes. And I know what you're thinking — what's it going to be like when there's no more danger and excitement of illicit sex. Well, this is fun, but I'm frightened, truly frightened. I just want to be safe, with you, and twenty years from now, when you walk into the room, my heart will still skip a beat."
"I believe that."
"You should, or you're doing the wrong thing. I'm leaving here no matter what, Keith, and I'd like your help. But you don't have to make any promises. Get me out of here, then you can do what you want. I mean that."
"No, you don't..." He looked at her. "Well... maybe you do. But that's not the program. This is real simple — I came back to be with you."
"What if I was three hundred pounds?"
"I would have walked past you on the sidewalk, if I could get around you. Stop giving me a hard time."
"Did anyone write to you about me?"
"Yes, a few people. My mother especially. She kept track of your weight."
"She's been gone five years."
"Is this a test?"
"No, just things I promised myself I'd say to you."
"Is that it?"
"That's it. You're hooked. Do you have a plan?"
"No, but the simpler, the better. What's he usually do on Saturdays?"
"Saturday is good. He always spends Saturdays with his friends, either at the lodge on Grey Lake, or Lake Michigan, or Lake Erie. They boat, they fish, they shoot in season. Bird season just started."
"What if it rains?"
"They go anyway. They usually play cards someplace — most of them have places in Michigan."
"Okay. Just pack the bare essentials, and we'll meet someplace. I'll drive us to Toledo Airport, and we're gone."
"All right... I'll go to my sister Terry's house. Any Spencerville police cars in Chatham County don't belong there, and they'll be easy to spot."
"Good plan."
"Do you mind meeting me at my sister's house?"
"No. We used to get along. I'd like to see her again and thank her for forwarding twenty years of mail to you. I sent her a card every Christmas."
"I know. You're sweet, and she likes you. She used to cover for me in high school when you and I were where we weren't supposed to be."
"I remember." He thought a moment, then asked, "Will she be all right with this?"
"She hates Cliff. No, she despises Cliff. So does her husband." Annie added, "Obviously, she knows we weren't sending recipes for twenty years."
"You two never discussed this strange correspondence?"
"Of course not. Well, maybe once in awhile." Annie smiled. "God, every time a letter came from you, she'd get excited and phone me right away. We had a code, just in case. She'd say, 'I just got a mailorder catalog I'd like you to see.' Then we'd arrange to meet at her place, or in Spencerville, or halfway at Louise's. I'd give her a letter to mail to you from her post office — I never trusted the people at the Spencerville post office. They gossip."
"I noticed all your letters were postmarked outside of Spencerville." He smiled. "It sounds like you two enjoyed yourselves."
"We were like schoolgirls. Anyway, there's not much excitement out in Chatham County, and this was almost as good as the soaps."
"Yes, but... letters are one thing — helping you run off with a man is another."
"She'll wish us well."
"Will she be safe from Chief Baxter?"
"Her husband, Larry, is pretty tough. Nice guy, but he hates Cliff, and Cliff is afraid of him. Larry is also an honorary deputy sheriff in Chatham, and he'd like nothing better than to tangle with Cliff Baxter."
"Okay, just so they both understand."
"I'll talk to them and tell them we'll be there Saturday at... what time?"
"There's a two-fifteen direct flight to Washington. If we leave your sister's at ten, we'll make the flight."
She nodded. "All right. Cliff will leave early with his friends. I'll pack and drive out to Terry's house — I'll put my things in shopping bags and cardboard boxes, so if my keeper sees me packing the car, he won't get suspicious."
"Do you watch spy movies?"
"I was Phi Beta Kappa. My brain still works."
"I see that. You know, I've been in police states where the cops weren't as much trouble as here."
"They're stupid. Anyway, I should get to Terry's about nine. You can get there earlier if you want. They'll be expecting you. We'll have a cup of coffee, I'll give them letters to mail to Tom and Wendy, we'll say goodbye, and Terry will go speak to Mom and Dad."
"Have you eloped before?"
"Keith, I've run away a thousand times in my mind. I wish I'd had the nerve to do it for real, but I'm glad I waited." She looked at him and said, "I never thought I'd run off with you, but I always fantasized that I was going to join you somewhere."
"I'm sort of overwhelmed."
"You're overwhelmed? I can't believe this is happening. My head is spinning, my heart is fluttering, and I'm so in love I can't see straight. I feel happier now than I've felt since the day before you got your draft notice. I knew nothing would be the same for me after that."
"I thought it would. You understood it better."
"Darling, we both understood, but we hoped for the best." She thought a moment, then said, "People make stupid mistakes in their twenties, but we can't judge ourselves two decades later. We had a great six years, Keith, and I thank God I had that time with you. God willing, we'll have the rest of our lives together."
Keith couldn't say anything, but he took her hand and kissed it.
She took a deep breath. "I should go. Do we meet again before next Saturday?"
"No, it's not safe, and don't call. I'm concerned about a phone tap."
She nodded. "I can almost guarantee my phone calls are recorded at police headquarters. That's why I called you from a pay phone. Do you think your phone?.."
"Maybe. And possibly the Porters'. Will you be all right at home?"
"I'll try. Yes, I will. I won't give him any cause for suspicion." She looked at him. "You understand?"
He nodded.
"Do you still have Terry's address?"
"I think, after twenty years of addressing envelopes, I might remember it."
"You still have a sarcastic streak in you. I'll work on that."
"No, darling, you'll learn to live with it."
"Okay, I get real bitchy that time of the month, and the rest of the month, I have a smart mouth."
"Looking forward to it."
They stood a moment, then she said, "I don't want to walk away."
"Then stay."
"I can't... I have errands that should be done before he gets home, or he'll wonder where I've been all day."
"He sure keeps a tight leash."
"He sure does. You never did."
"And I never will."
"You don't have to." She put out her hand, and he took it. She said, "You have a good day now, Mr. Landry. I'll see you next Saturday, and we'll run off together."
He smiled, then made eye contact with her and said, "Annie... if you change your mind..."
"No, and neither will you. Be there, Keith. Red brick Victorian. Off County Road 6." She kissed him, turned, and hurried away.
He watched her walk along the shore. She spoke to a few people as she passed by, then stopped and chatted with the two older men who were fishing. They laughed at something she said, and watched her as she walked away.
Annie got to her car, opened the door, and looked back at the trees. Although she couldn't see him in the shadows from that distance, she waved, and he waved back. She got into the car, backed up over the rise, and disappeared.
Keith stood awhile, then walked back upstream.