dodging after him through the Friday night crowds in line for tokens. Bear whipped through the turnstile with such velocity that Blanche had to hold it still a moment before she could go through it.
They flew after him down to the lower level where the train to Manhattan had paused, its lights flashing and the “close doors” signal sounding. Bear got onto the packed train and held the doors open for them with his hands as it started to pull away. Blanche and Rose dove beneath his arms and were safely on the train as it began to move in earnest. They stood beside him, gasping for breath and laughing as the train plunged into the tunnel.
“Do you know, I always imagine that the subway trains are dragons,” Rose said to Bear as they clung to his coat for support in the swaying car. “Tearing back and forth across the city in their underground caves, devouring people and spitting them out at random destinations.”
“Well, they certainly are as loud as dragons,” Bear said. He winced as another train passed them in a deafening roar.
“Hey, weirdo,” someone said to Rose, poking her in the back. She went pale, her eyes flashing green. But when she turned, she gasped and the color came back into her cheeks. “Rob!”
It was the man himself, his blue eyes and black brows snapping at her beneath a ski cap.
“What are you doing out here tonight?” he grinned at her. He and his buddies were sitting in a row on the other side of the train, an army in sports jackets and hooded sweatshirts.
“Going to the opera. What are you doing?” Rose wanted to know, turning to face them. She had forgotten all about Bear and Blanche.
“The oh-per-ah!” Rob mimicked. “Getting some culture shock, are you?”
“I thought you were going to call me tonight,” Rose said.
“Well, I can’t. You’re not home, are you?” he said teasingly.
“Yes, but—So where are you going?”
“Ah, over to Lisa’s house for a party. Want to come?”
“No, I’m going—”
“To the oh-per-ah! Yeah, you said that.”
Bear watched Rose talking animatedly with Rob and bent down his head to Blanche. He said in a very low voice, “So this is the famous ‘Rob’?” One couldn’t talk to Rose these days without hearing some allusion to Rob.
“It is,” Blanche affirmed dryly.
“Tell me something. Why does Rose like this guy?”
Blanche shrugged, a bit irritated. “It beats me.”
“He’s just nothing like the type of guy I’d expect your sister to like, with all her talk about princes and gypsies.”
“Rob—is a nice guy. And he’s very popular,” Blanche hedged. Bear’s remark was odd in one respect. Rob definitely fit the image of Prince Charming, with his good looks and style. He looks more like a prince than Bear does , she thought. But of course, she couldn’t say that to Bear.
“Well, we’ll catch you later,” Rob was saying to Rose. The train was stopping. His buddies shouldered him out.
“Call me tomorrow night!” Rose called after him. “If you want!”
To Blanche, she turned and whispered, “Oh, can you believe it? What a coincidence! I’m so glad I saw him—I would have felt so bad if he had called and I wasn’t there!”
“He wasn’t going to call you anyhow. He was going to a party.”
“Oh, he would have called from the party. That’s what he said he was going to do. Oh, gosh, I can’t believe I saw him. He’s just so good-looking. Doesn’t he look like the man who played Ivanhoe? ”
“Hush,” Blanche said sharply. Bear was taking them on an outing. It was rude not to include him in the conversation. Besides, she couldn’t help but feel put out with her younger sister who always seemed to be the center of attention.
Standing in the back of the dark opera house and gazing at the huge stage before them, gay with gold-scrolled scenery and sumptuously costumed singers, the air vivid with bright music, was one of the most enthralling experiences of Blanche’s life. For a
They flew after him down to the lower level where the train to Manhattan had paused, its lights flashing and the “close doors” signal sounding. Bear got onto the packed train and held the doors open for them with his hands as it started to pull away. Blanche and Rose dove beneath his arms and were safely on the train as it began to move in earnest. They stood beside him, gasping for breath and laughing as the train plunged into the tunnel.
“Do you know, I always imagine that the subway trains are dragons,” Rose said to Bear as they clung to his coat for support in the swaying car. “Tearing back and forth across the city in their underground caves, devouring people and spitting them out at random destinations.”
“Well, they certainly are as loud as dragons,” Bear said. He winced as another train passed them in a deafening roar.
“Hey, weirdo,” someone said to Rose, poking her in the back. She went pale, her eyes flashing green. But when she turned, she gasped and the color came back into her cheeks. “Rob!”
It was the man himself, his blue eyes and black brows snapping at her beneath a ski cap.
“What are you doing out here tonight?” he grinned at her. He and his buddies were sitting in a row on the other side of the train, an army in sports jackets and hooded sweatshirts.
“Going to the opera. What are you doing?” Rose wanted to know, turning to face them. She had forgotten all about Bear and Blanche.
“The oh-per-ah!” Rob mimicked. “Getting some culture shock, are you?”
“I thought you were going to call me tonight,” Rose said.
“Well, I can’t. You’re not home, are you?” he said teasingly.
“Yes, but—So where are you going?”
“Ah, over to Lisa’s house for a party. Want to come?”
“No, I’m going—”
“To the oh-per-ah! Yeah, you said that.”
Bear watched Rose talking animatedly with Rob and bent down his head to Blanche. He said in a very low voice, “So this is the famous ‘Rob’?” One couldn’t talk to Rose these days without hearing some allusion to Rob.
“It is,” Blanche affirmed dryly.
“Tell me something. Why does Rose like this guy?”
Blanche shrugged, a bit irritated. “It beats me.”
“He’s just nothing like the type of guy I’d expect your sister to like, with all her talk about princes and gypsies.”
“Rob—is a nice guy. And he’s very popular,” Blanche hedged. Bear’s remark was odd in one respect. Rob definitely fit the image of Prince Charming, with his good looks and style. He looks more like a prince than Bear does , she thought. But of course, she couldn’t say that to Bear.
“Well, we’ll catch you later,” Rob was saying to Rose. The train was stopping. His buddies shouldered him out.
“Call me tomorrow night!” Rose called after him. “If you want!”
To Blanche, she turned and whispered, “Oh, can you believe it? What a coincidence! I’m so glad I saw him—I would have felt so bad if he had called and I wasn’t there!”
“He wasn’t going to call you anyhow. He was going to a party.”
“Oh, he would have called from the party. That’s what he said he was going to do. Oh, gosh, I can’t believe I saw him. He’s just so good-looking. Doesn’t he look like the man who played Ivanhoe? ”
“Hush,” Blanche said sharply. Bear was taking them on an outing. It was rude not to include him in the conversation. Besides, she couldn’t help but feel put out with her younger sister who always seemed to be the center of attention.
Standing in the back of the dark opera house and gazing at the huge stage before them, gay with gold-scrolled scenery and sumptuously costumed singers, the air vivid with bright music, was one of the most enthralling experiences of Blanche’s life. For a
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