@@@@@ 135 I could see my rental car, but Jack
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135
I could see my rental car, but Jack would be
awhile yetThe pickup traffic was stop-and-goI
leaned my crutch against my midsection and hugged
my daughter, who had come all the way from
California to see me"Go easy on your mother,
okay?"
"Don't you even care that-"
"What I mostly care about these days is that you
and Melinda are happy
There were circles under her eyes and I could see
that, young or not, all the traveling had tired
her outI thought she'd sleep late tomorrow, and
that was fineIf my feeling about her boyfriend
was right - I hoped it wasn't but thought it was -
she had some sleepless nights ahead of her in the
year to come
Jack had made it as far as the Air Florida
terminal, which still gave us some time"Do you
have a picture of your guy? Enquiring Dads want to
know The picture she
brought out of her red leather wallet was in one
of those see-through plastic envelopesShe teased
it out and handed it to meI guess this time my
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reaction didn't show, because her fond (really
sort of goofy) smile didn't changeAnd me? I felt
as though I'd swallowed something that had no
business going down a human throatA piece of
lead shot, maybe
It wasn't that Carson Jones resembled the man I'd
drawn on Christmas EveI was prepared for that,
had been since I saw the little ring twinkling
prettily on Ilse's fingerWhat shocked me was
that the photo was almost exactly the sameIt was
as if, instead of clipping a photo of sophora, sea
lavender, or inkberry to the side of my easel, I
had clipped this very photographHe was wearing
the jeans and the scuffed yellow workboots that I
hadn't been able to get quite right; his darkish
blond hair spilled over his ears and his forehead;
he was carrying a book I knew was a Bible in one
handMost telling of all was the Minnesota Twins
tee-shirt, with the number 48 on the left breast
"Who's number 48, and how did you happen to meet a
Twins fan at Brown? I thought that was Red Sox
country
"Number 48's Torii Hunter," she said, looking at
me as if I was the world's biggest dummox"They
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have a huge TV in the main student lounge, and I
went in there one day last July when the Sox and
Twins were playingThe place was crammed even
though it was summer session, but Carson and I
were the only ones with our Twins on - him with
his Torii tee-shirt, me with my capSo of course
we sat together,