Definitely edgy.
“Tired from the ride?” I said.
“Um. . . that and just getting readjusted. She had a great big
dinner, plus dessert, then just dropped off. I’m across the hall from
her right now. Keeping my ears open. . . you know.”
“Sure,” I said.
“I keep her door open to our bathroom-it connects to our room-and a
night light on inside. So I can look in on her regularly.”
“How do you get any sleep that way?”
“Oh, I manage. If I’m tired, I nap when she does. Being together so
much, we’ve kind of gotten on to the same schedule.”
“Do you and Chip ever take shifts?”
“No, I couldn’t do that-his course load’s really heavy this semester.
Are you coming out to visit us, soon?”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Sure. Um . . . how about in the afternoonaround four?”
Thinking of the 505 freeway snarl, I said, “Would earlier be
possible?”
“Um, okay three-thirty?”
“I was thinking even earlier, Cindy, like two?”
“Oh, sure. . . I’ve got some things to do-would two-thirty be okay?”
“Fine.”
“Great, Dr. Delaware. We’re looking forward to seeing you.”
I walked to the bedroom, thinking how much more nervous she sounded at
home than in the hospital. Something about home setting her
off-raising her anxiety and leading to Munchausen manipulation?
Though, even if she was virgIn-Innocent, I supposed it made sense for
her house to spook her. For her, home was where the harm was.
Robin was slipping into a little black dress I’d never seen before.
I zipped her up, pressed my cheek to the warmth between her shoulder
blades, and finally managed to complete the process. We drove to the
top of the Glen, to an Italian place in the shopping center just below
Mulholland. No reservation, and we had to wait at a cold onyx bar.
Frantic singles scene tonight, lots of tanned flesh and triple
ntendres. We enjoyed not being part of it, reveled in silence. I
started to have real faith in our reunion-something pleasant to think
about.
A half hour later we were seated at a corner table and ordering before
the waiter could escape. We ate veal and drank wine for a peaceful
hour, drove back home, got out of our clothes and straight into bed.
Despite the wine, our union was quick, limber, almost jovial.
Afterward, Robin ran a bath, got in, and called for me to join her.
Just as I was about to, the phone rang.
“Dr. Delaware, this is Janie at your service. I’ve got a call from a
Chip Jones.”
“Thanks. Put him on, please.”
“Dr. Delaware?”
“Hi, Chip, what’s up?”
“Nothing-nothing medical, that is, thank God. I hope I’m not calling
too late?”
“Not at all.”
“Cindy just phoned me to say you’re coming by, tomorrow afternoon. I’m
checking to see if you need me to be there.”
“Your input’s always welcome, Chip.”
“Hmm.”
“Is there a problem?”
“I’m afraid there is. I’ve got an afternoon class at one-thirty, then
a meeting with some of my students right afterward. Nothing
earth-shattering-just routine office hours-but with finals approaching,
the undergraduate panic level’s been rising at a precipitous rate.”
“No problem,” I said, “I’ll catch you the next time.”
“Great-and if something comes up that you want to ask me about, just
call. I gave you my number here, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Great. Then it’s all set.
I hung up, bothered by his call but not sure why. Robin called from
the bathroom and I went in. The light was dim and she was up to her
neck in suds, head tilted back against the rim of the tub. A few
clusters of bubbles dotted her pinned-up hair, shiny as gems. Her eyes
were closed and she kept them that way as I got in.
Covering her breasts, she said, “Shudder, shudder hope that’s not
Norman Bates.”
“Norman preferred showers.”
“Oh. Right. Norman’s meditative brother, then.”
“Norman’s wet brother-Merman.”
She laughed. I stretched out, closed my eyes too. She put her legs
atop mine. I sank, feeling myself warm, massaging her toes, trying to
loosen up. But I kept thinking of the conversation I’d just had with