 |
АвтоАвтоматизацияАрхитектураАстрономияАудитБиологияБухгалтерияВоенное делоГенетикаГеографияГеологияГосударствоДомДругоеЖурналистика и СМИИзобретательствоИностранные языкиИнформатикаИскусствоИсторияКомпьютерыКулинарияКультураЛексикологияЛитератураЛогикаМаркетингМатематикаМашиностроениеМедицинаМенеджментМеталлы и СваркаМеханикаМузыкаНаселениеОбразованиеОхрана безопасности жизниОхрана ТрудаПедагогикаПолитикаПравоПриборостроениеПрограммированиеПроизводствоПромышленностьПсихологияРадиоРегилияСвязьСоциологияСпортСтандартизацияСтроительствоТехнологииТорговляТуризмФизикаФизиологияФилософияФинансыХимияХозяйствоЦеннообразованиеЧерчениеЭкологияЭконометрикаЭкономикаЭлектроникаЮриспунденкция
KIM BALDWIN. times last night, and again this morning, with no success
|
Читайте также: |
times last night, and again this morning, with no success. She’d begun to contemplate what it would be like to resume her old life. Without Erin. What if she shuts you out permanently?
It was unthinkable. Unbearable.
She had no real hope that Erin would be waiting for her after work, although they routinely had dinner at Gable’s house on Monday nights.
Still, her heartbeat picked up as she neared her house, and she said a silent prayer for the red pickup to be there.
To her profound relief, it was.
The lights were on; Erin had used her spare key and let herself in.
Gable rushed up the steps. Erin met her at the door and hugged her F ercely. “I’m sorry, Gable. I’m sorry I was such a brat.”
“Not necessary,” Gable hugged her back.
“Yes, it is,” Erin insisted, not loosening her embrace. “I have some…some issues, especially on the subject of marriage,” she explained vaguely. “I told you that. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” She looked up at Gable with moist eyes. “Forgive me?”
Gable kissed the top of her head. “Nothing to forgive. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories, or pry. I really didn’t. I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”
Erin hugged her tighter. “I know that,” she said in a soft voice.
“I was worried when you wouldn’t answer the phone.”
“I drove around a long time. I ended up in Petoskey.”
“Petoskey?”
“Yeah. I went to see my mother. I told her about us.”
Gable drew back and looked at Erin with wide eyes. “You did?”
Her heartbeat pounded in her chest.
“She wants to meet you.”
“How did she react?”
Erin snorted. “My mother is never what you expect. She was F ne with it. She just wanted to know if I was happy.”
“And are you happy?” Gable’s voice betrayed her and broke on the last word.
“I am happy, Gable. As happy as I can be, without some help.”
“Help?”
“I’m going to start seeing a therapist. My mother recommended it, and I think she may have something.”
• 206 •
FORCE OF NATURE
Alarm bells went off in Gable’s head. A therapist? A therapist whowill tell you you’re really not gay, just confused. I bet that’s what yourmother is hoping for. She’s not F ne with it at all if she is recommendingyou see a shrink about it. Her insides churned with worry. Just wait.
Give her a session or two with a psychiatrist, and Erin will be tellingyou she can’t see you anymore.
“Gable? Did you hear what I said?”
You can’t tell her not to do this. It’s not your place. It’s her decision.
“Yes. I heard you. You think this will help you?”
“I do. I hope so.”
Gable pulled her close. “I hope you’re right.”
v
From all outward appearances, things between them resumed as before. They remained virtually inseparable, spending most of their evenings and weekends together, and were certainly no less passionate with each other than they’d been.
They celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving at Gable’s house with turkey and all the trimmings, and Erin spoke excitedly about how much she looked forward to spending their F rst Christmas together.
But Gable felt like she was living on borrowed time.
Erin was seeing a therapist named Karen twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays after school. She told Gable when her appointments were and said they were helping her, but she never shared any details of the sessions.
On those days, especially, Gable lived on tenterhooks, expecting the worst: expecting Erin to march in and announce she was straight after all.
It was on a Friday, three weeks before Christmas, that Gable got a phone call as she was about to leave the drugstore. Friday had become pizza night—Gable would pick up a large pepperoni and black olive pizza at the Slice of Heaven on her way home and they would rendezvous at her house. Erin’s therapy went until F ve and Gable worked until six, so more often than not, Erin was waiting for her when she pulled in.
But Erin had other plans tonight.
“I’m glad I caught you,” she began when Gable came on the line.
• 207 •
Поиск по сайту: