years."
"'Two years'! But he's not even two years...old—oh, I see." Lapsing into silence once more, Leo looked even more puzzled. Then he started shaking his head. "If the guy can't stick around while you're having his baby, he sounds like... like..."
"I—it wasn't like that exactly," Arianne stammered, gazing at Leo with dawning astonishment.
"What do you mean? Ah! Rae's not his baby."
"Of course he's his baby!" she asserted indignantly. "Why am I telling you this?" Her astonishment finally made her ask herself this question, but she said it out loud.
"Why not?" he queried reasonably. "Now why wasn't it like that?"
"Reggie didn't know."
It was his turn to be surprised. "Tell me, Arianne," he began again when it seemed he had digested the latest information, "do you generally keep a lot of secrets?"
This made her smile. "No. And I didn't keep the baby a secret. . .I just couldn't tell him at the time and later.. .well, there didn't seem any reason to then." She hoped he grasped the logic of it. "It just happened!"
"You mean.. .he still doesn't know?"
"No," she admitted faintly.
"How can he stay away from you!" he muttered to himself.
"He doesn't know where I am, either," Arianne volunteered.
"Did he know about your.. .your ESP?"
"Mm-hm."
"What does that mean? Did he like it? Did he hate it? "
"A little of both. Mostly he found it embarrassing and just didn't want anyone to know."
"He sounds adorable," Leo remarked dryly.
This made her smile again. "He wasn't really so bad. Very ambitious.. .a political figure.. .and I just didn't add up."
"That was a very calm diagnosis."
"Well, I—well, I..."
"Ye-es?"
"Leo, would you please get out of my way. I have to get ready for work. I'll see you at dinner."
***
Jill brought the kids over a little earlier than seven. She was dressed up for the dance and looked young and pretty and carefree.. .and was terribly depressed.
"I don't think I should be going to the stupid old dance in the first place!" she said grouchily, sitting at the kitchen table with Arianne. "I mean, what's the point? Don's very nice, but... I'm not going to go. I'll phone him and—"
"No, you won't!" Arianne pushed her back into the chair. "Wait, I'll give you a shot of Leo's brandy. You need a dab for your nerves. What's the matter with you, anyway?"
"Just the blues...."
"Oh, come on!"
"What's the point of it all, Arianne? What's it for? The earrings, the lipstick? Just to end up married again? No thanks! I had it bad enough the first time around. I don't need another lesson! When I think of what I went through!"
"Don't think about it. It's over. In the past." Taking another look at her friend's troubled face, she added, "Isn't it?"
"He kept coming back, Arianne.'' Jill closed her eyes in distress. "What could I do?"
"Not shut the door in his face, obviously," Arianne supplied. "Was this before or after the divorce? Or both?"
"I wouldn't see him for ages, and then he'd just drop in... he'd hang around for a while and then disappear again. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for a week. Other times a month. This time..."
"Wait a minute, what do you mean, 'this time'? He's not back!"
"No. No, of course not! I—I just meant that...ah...I haven't seen him since our divorce!" Jill looked moodily into the depths of her coffee cup. "It's all so useless. I would get myself together and start thinking that maybe things would be okay, and then whammo, there he was again, with another game up his sleeve."
"Oh, Jill, I'm sorry."
"Look, don't you get morose! It's not your problem."
"No, but somehow you have to get over him!"
"I am. Oh, I am! Of course I am. It's just when I start thinking about everything that.. .urn..."
"Then you have to stop wallowing in it!" Arianne exclaimed. "And start right now by going to that dance with Don. You're right. He is nice. And an officer to boot. He sure looks terrific in his dress uniform!"
"How would you know?"
Arianne laughed—she was looking out the
"'Two years'! But he's not even two years...old—oh, I see." Lapsing into silence once more, Leo looked even more puzzled. Then he started shaking his head. "If the guy can't stick around while you're having his baby, he sounds like... like..."
"I—it wasn't like that exactly," Arianne stammered, gazing at Leo with dawning astonishment.
"What do you mean? Ah! Rae's not his baby."
"Of course he's his baby!" she asserted indignantly. "Why am I telling you this?" Her astonishment finally made her ask herself this question, but she said it out loud.
"Why not?" he queried reasonably. "Now why wasn't it like that?"
"Reggie didn't know."
It was his turn to be surprised. "Tell me, Arianne," he began again when it seemed he had digested the latest information, "do you generally keep a lot of secrets?"
This made her smile. "No. And I didn't keep the baby a secret. . .I just couldn't tell him at the time and later.. .well, there didn't seem any reason to then." She hoped he grasped the logic of it. "It just happened!"
"You mean.. .he still doesn't know?"
"No," she admitted faintly.
"How can he stay away from you!" he muttered to himself.
"He doesn't know where I am, either," Arianne volunteered.
"Did he know about your.. .your ESP?"
"Mm-hm."
"What does that mean? Did he like it? Did he hate it? "
"A little of both. Mostly he found it embarrassing and just didn't want anyone to know."
"He sounds adorable," Leo remarked dryly.
This made her smile again. "He wasn't really so bad. Very ambitious.. .a political figure.. .and I just didn't add up."
"That was a very calm diagnosis."
"Well, I—well, I..."
"Ye-es?"
"Leo, would you please get out of my way. I have to get ready for work. I'll see you at dinner."
***
Jill brought the kids over a little earlier than seven. She was dressed up for the dance and looked young and pretty and carefree.. .and was terribly depressed.
"I don't think I should be going to the stupid old dance in the first place!" she said grouchily, sitting at the kitchen table with Arianne. "I mean, what's the point? Don's very nice, but... I'm not going to go. I'll phone him and—"
"No, you won't!" Arianne pushed her back into the chair. "Wait, I'll give you a shot of Leo's brandy. You need a dab for your nerves. What's the matter with you, anyway?"
"Just the blues...."
"Oh, come on!"
"What's the point of it all, Arianne? What's it for? The earrings, the lipstick? Just to end up married again? No thanks! I had it bad enough the first time around. I don't need another lesson! When I think of what I went through!"
"Don't think about it. It's over. In the past." Taking another look at her friend's troubled face, she added, "Isn't it?"
"He kept coming back, Arianne.'' Jill closed her eyes in distress. "What could I do?"
"Not shut the door in his face, obviously," Arianne supplied. "Was this before or after the divorce? Or both?"
"I wouldn't see him for ages, and then he'd just drop in... he'd hang around for a while and then disappear again. Sometimes I wouldn't see him for a week. Other times a month. This time..."
"Wait a minute, what do you mean, 'this time'? He's not back!"
"No. No, of course not! I—I just meant that...ah...I haven't seen him since our divorce!" Jill looked moodily into the depths of her coffee cup. "It's all so useless. I would get myself together and start thinking that maybe things would be okay, and then whammo, there he was again, with another game up his sleeve."
"Oh, Jill, I'm sorry."
"Look, don't you get morose! It's not your problem."
"No, but somehow you have to get over him!"
"I am. Oh, I am! Of course I am. It's just when I start thinking about everything that.. .urn..."
"Then you have to stop wallowing in it!" Arianne exclaimed. "And start right now by going to that dance with Don. You're right. He is nice. And an officer to boot. He sure looks terrific in his dress uniform!"
"How would you know?"
Arianne laughed—she was looking out the
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