Ann asked.
"You two go ahead," Owen said. "Your mother and I will pass for now."
Ann and Emily went to get their jackets. They hadn't brought hats or gloves, so Ann rummaged around in an old wooden chest in the front hall, and found some they could wear.
After the girls had left the house, Katharine turned to Owen. "Have you ever seen her this happy?"
"No," Owen smiled thoughtfully, "I don't think I have."
Ann and Emily ran into the night, feeling a childlike thrill at the cold wetness of snowflakes landing on their faces. They tried to catch them on their tongues, blinking when the large flakes stuck to their eyelashes. The snow was coming down fast, and their tracks were covered quickly. They stayed outside until their cheeks were numb, and then went back in.
"Oh, that was fun," they laughed as they shook snow off their jackets and took off their snowy shoes. Neither of them had brought boots. They went to get fresh cups of coffee and joined Katharine and Owen who were sitting in the den with a roaring fire and an old movie on the television. The movie was 'Bringing Up Baby' with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
"That's what this house reminds me of!" Emily exclaimed as Hepburn and Grant ran around the aunt's farmhouse.
"I think my father was secretly in love with Katharine Hepburn," Katharine said.
'He's not the only one,' Emily thought.
Katharine continued. "He had an architect design this house after that one, and I was named for her. I inherited the farm when he died, and we've lived here ever since."
"I think your father knew what he was doing," Owen observed. "You certainly had her red hair and, uh…"
"Independence," she finished for him.
"I was going to say stubbornness," Owen laughed, "but independence is a good word."
Emily blushed and Ann laughed as Owen put his arms around his wife and gave her a kiss. Emily genuinely liked them. They were obviously very much in love, and she could see where Ann got her openness, but she wasn't accustomed to such displays of affection. Her parents were very reserved in comparison.
They all settled back to watch the remainder of the movie. When it was over, Owen and Katharine said goodnight. Ann turned off the television and the lights, and put another log on the fire.
"Your parents are great," Emily said as Ann sat back down beside her on the sofa.
"Yes," she agreed, "I think I'll keep them."
"They seem to be very much in love. How long have they been married?"
"Thirty-three years." Ann looked into the fire. "That's the kind of relationship I want, one that grows stronger with time."
They were silent for a while, watching the light of the fire flicker on the furniture and listening to the popping of the logs.
"Why aren't you dating anyone?" Emily asked. They hadn't talked at all about Ann's relationships.
"I haven't met anybody recently that I care to date," Ann shrugged. "The last man I dated steadily was another Peace Corps volunteer. We were pretty serious while I was in Africa, but he just wasn't someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
"Ann," Emily started, and then hesitated, "you must have been told often how beautiful you are." She swallowed. "You must have men constantly asking you out."
"Yes," Ann replied honestly. Emily appreciated Ann's lack of false modesty. "But after a couple of dates, when you expect to be getting to know someone, I still catch them looking around to see if other men are noticing." She stirred the fire and then sat down again.
"Paul, the guy I met in Africa, was probably the closest I've come to someone whom I felt really got to know me," she paused, thinking, "but something was missing. I don't even know how to articulate what it was, but I knew I wanted more." Something flickered across Emily's face, as if she were going to say something, but changed her mind.
"What about you?" Ann asked, changing the
"You two go ahead," Owen said. "Your mother and I will pass for now."
Ann and Emily went to get their jackets. They hadn't brought hats or gloves, so Ann rummaged around in an old wooden chest in the front hall, and found some they could wear.
After the girls had left the house, Katharine turned to Owen. "Have you ever seen her this happy?"
"No," Owen smiled thoughtfully, "I don't think I have."
Ann and Emily ran into the night, feeling a childlike thrill at the cold wetness of snowflakes landing on their faces. They tried to catch them on their tongues, blinking when the large flakes stuck to their eyelashes. The snow was coming down fast, and their tracks were covered quickly. They stayed outside until their cheeks were numb, and then went back in.
"Oh, that was fun," they laughed as they shook snow off their jackets and took off their snowy shoes. Neither of them had brought boots. They went to get fresh cups of coffee and joined Katharine and Owen who were sitting in the den with a roaring fire and an old movie on the television. The movie was 'Bringing Up Baby' with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
"That's what this house reminds me of!" Emily exclaimed as Hepburn and Grant ran around the aunt's farmhouse.
"I think my father was secretly in love with Katharine Hepburn," Katharine said.
'He's not the only one,' Emily thought.
Katharine continued. "He had an architect design this house after that one, and I was named for her. I inherited the farm when he died, and we've lived here ever since."
"I think your father knew what he was doing," Owen observed. "You certainly had her red hair and, uh…"
"Independence," she finished for him.
"I was going to say stubbornness," Owen laughed, "but independence is a good word."
Emily blushed and Ann laughed as Owen put his arms around his wife and gave her a kiss. Emily genuinely liked them. They were obviously very much in love, and she could see where Ann got her openness, but she wasn't accustomed to such displays of affection. Her parents were very reserved in comparison.
They all settled back to watch the remainder of the movie. When it was over, Owen and Katharine said goodnight. Ann turned off the television and the lights, and put another log on the fire.
"Your parents are great," Emily said as Ann sat back down beside her on the sofa.
"Yes," she agreed, "I think I'll keep them."
"They seem to be very much in love. How long have they been married?"
"Thirty-three years." Ann looked into the fire. "That's the kind of relationship I want, one that grows stronger with time."
They were silent for a while, watching the light of the fire flicker on the furniture and listening to the popping of the logs.
"Why aren't you dating anyone?" Emily asked. They hadn't talked at all about Ann's relationships.
"I haven't met anybody recently that I care to date," Ann shrugged. "The last man I dated steadily was another Peace Corps volunteer. We were pretty serious while I was in Africa, but he just wasn't someone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."
"Ann," Emily started, and then hesitated, "you must have been told often how beautiful you are." She swallowed. "You must have men constantly asking you out."
"Yes," Ann replied honestly. Emily appreciated Ann's lack of false modesty. "But after a couple of dates, when you expect to be getting to know someone, I still catch them looking around to see if other men are noticing." She stirred the fire and then sat down again.
"Paul, the guy I met in Africa, was probably the closest I've come to someone whom I felt really got to know me," she paused, thinking, "but something was missing. I don't even know how to articulate what it was, but I knew I wanted more." Something flickered across Emily's face, as if she were going to say something, but changed her mind.
"What about you?" Ann asked, changing the
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