Hey! What's that over there? Why, it's PART 12

After which things should get more interesting again

“So tell me about this dream you had on the beach the other night,” Gryphon said.

She grimaced. “It was so real. And, well, I haven’t remembered my dreams in a long time. Since Alex died, probably. But even back then, I don’t remember their being this vivid.” He was studying her closely now; what she was describing sounded awfully familiar.

“And it kind of made sense,” she continued. “In its own world, I mean. No one was turning into other people; I wasn’t home then suddenly at Piggly Wiggly; no blurry vagueness at the edges. There was something really going on.” She noticed how his attention had intensified and got a little nervous. “But, you know, whatever, it’s not worth telling, really.”

Their houses were only a few hundred yards apart, and they walked on the beach again toward them now. The sun was setting, and the moon had already appeared over the eastern horizon. “It’ll be full in two days,” Gryphon commented.

“It’s been years since I’ve seen the moon rise over the ocean.”

“When were you here last, before this year?”

She sighed in thought. “I came with my parents not too long after Alex died. They thought it would help me.”

“Not much could at that point, I’ll wager.”

“No. I sat slumped in my bed a lot. They were pretty worried, I guess. But … now that I think about it, they probably helped pull me through more than any of us realized.”

“Where are they now?” he asked.

“Right now, the Appalachians. They go there a couple of times a year with Habitat for Humanity. They live in Sarasota.”

“How great of them to do that.”

“Yeah, they’re good people.”

“Brothers or sisters?”

“My brother works for Motorola in Albuquerque. Just him and me. What about you, besides Lilly?”

“A brother in Vermont, where my mom still spends half the year, and a sister in the city. New York. They’re both in publishing.” They were quiet for a while as they walked. Andie had been in journalism before Alex died, but she said nothing. Then she wondered if it was OK that she wasn’t saying anything, if she should be talking, but thought, Maybe not; maybe it’s OK to be silent. He seemed OK with it. Argh; this inner torture was driving her nuts. What was happening to her? I'm enjoying this, so at least that, she thought. But at the same time she was terrified that it would end at any second. It had been so long since anything good had happened to her, and she was very, very afraid to get used to it.

They got to her house and she fumbled for a moment, not wanting him to go yet but not knowing how to ask him to stay. “Can I use your facilities?” he asked, smiling. Problem solved.

They went inside. When he emerged again she asked if he’d like some tea. “If you have chamomile, I’m all yours,” he answered.

She smiled. “Of course. Boxes and boxes of chamomile.” Turtle came out then from somewhere, stretching and blinking. He walked up to Gryphon and sniffed his shoes, then his hand as the man leaned down and reached out to him. Accepted, Gryphon scratched Turtle’s ears.

Andie came over to them then. “You must know animals,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone else scratch a cat’s ears like that. I think it’s why he stayed in the first place.”

She began fixing the smoky cat his dinner while they waited for the water to boil. The kettle whistled while her hands were involved in cat food, and Gryphon moved to make the tea. They heard a meowing from outside, and he went to the screen door. “Do you know this scruffy little guy?”

She came to the door, a can of cat food still in her hand. “Is he back? Poor thing, I think he’s homeless.”

Gryphon took the can from her and plopped its contents into the bowl she’d left out the day before. “I think he’s she.”

“I don’t think I can stand to leave her out here any longer. But I also don’t know how kindly Turtle will take to a guest.”

“I’ll take her home,” Gryphon said. “Lilly’s a sucker for strays, and the kids will love her. If they don’t maul her to pieces first. Hopefully she’ll stick around while I drink my tea …”

Andie smiled. He wanted to stay. Or was he just thirsty? No one is actually thirsty for tea, she thought. No one outside Britania, at least ...

They sat on the back porch, watching the sky darken and the moon rise higher into the now-starry sky. Again she was almost afraid to believe this was happening. How was it that this man, this very, very good-looking man (deep breath …), had come to be spending the evening with her? She looked at him as he talked about his nephews and niece. His green eyes caught the rising moon, and his smile seemed to warm the air around them. He looked to be pretty strong under his T-shirt, and she caught herself imagining him without it. She felt herself blush, and thanked her slight sunburn and the dim moonlight for camouflage.

Because of the cat, she drove Gryphon home. He asked if she’d like to go to the oceanographic museum the next day, and she said yes. After getting out of the car with the cat carrier, he leaned back down and smiled in at her before walking away, not saying anything, just smiling. She drove home thrilled and heart a-flutter.

Again she thought of Alex while lying in bed, without even meaning to.