Native Affairs

She waited nervously for him to arrive, dressed in a pale blue linen suit with a sheer blouse designed to reveal a delicate, lacy camisole beneath. Milky pearls gleamed at her ears and in the hollow of her throat. She had teamed high-heeled pumps with a leather clutch bag and sprayed herself with her most expensive perfume. She was ready.

Je

She looked at her watch. It was 7:45.

She spent twelve agonizing minutes thinking about everything that could go wrong until the doorbell rang at three minutes to eight. She’d been so absorbed in her contemplation of doom that she hadn’t heard the car after all.

Je

His eyes moved from Je

So do you, Je

I’ll bet he knows it, too, Je

The drive to the restaurant was wonderful, cool and breezy, laden with the fragrance of late summer flowers. Lee asked her if she wanted him to leave the top down, and she said yes, thinking that she could repair whatever damage occurred when they got to the restaurant. The glorious feel of the wind in her hair was worth it. He offered her the choice of his collection of tapes, and she examined the stack. He had a collection of classical pieces, for which she wasn’t in the mood, and some jazz, which she didn’t like. At the bottom she found several vintage rock ‘n’ roll albums. She selected Buddy Holly, and the familiar sounds of “Peggy Sue” and “Not Fade Away” floated into the evening air.

They knew Lee Youngson at Chez Odette. Waiters came ru

She glanced around her as they were seated. The whole restaurant was furnished in gold and white French provincial, with creamy damask tablecloths and patterned linen napkins at each table. There was a large vase of fresh flowers, roses and carnations, in the center of theirs, which complemented the color of the shell pink, delicate china and the heavy, gleaming silver. Chez Odette was rich in atmosphere. She was sure the patrons paid for it.

Je

When she returned, she found that Lee had ordered wine, but there was only one glass, at her place. He stood to seat her, and she asked why he wasn’t having any.

“What’s the matter with you, Je

Her eyes flashed to his face. When he made a remark like this, she still didn’t know whether he was kidding or not.

He met her gaze intently for a moment, and then smiled slightly. “Relax, paleface. I’m in training. You go ahead, though.”

Je

“You stick to the rules, don’t you?” she said pleasantly. “Daily workouts, no tobacco, no booze, no drugs.” Bob hadn’t had the same reverence for his body. His drunken bouts, and the fines which followed, had given him a reputation as a bad risk.

“It’s made me what I am today,” Lee said cynically.

“There’s no need to be snide,” Je

“Did you?” he said. “That’s a first.”

Why was he doing this? “I think your dedication is admirable,” she added, trying to smooth the waters.

He raised his water glass in a mock toast. “Coming from a paragon of self-discipline like you, that’s high praise indeed.”

“If you asked me out only because you wanted to needle me, you’re wasting your money. You could have done that on the job, where I would have been more disposed to tolerate it,” Je

He dropped his eyes, avoiding looking at her for a moment. Then his brown hand covered hers on the immaculate tablecloth.

“Nor mine either,” he said softly. “I’m sorry, Je

The touch of his slender fingers was electric, the sound of her name on his lips more intoxicating then the wine she was drinking. This one was a shaman like his great-grandfather, weaving spells to break your heart.

“Harold told me that your ex-husband was an athlete,” he said unexpectedly.

“Yes.” And here I am with you, Je

“Football?” he asked, not letting the subject drop.

“Baseball. Bob Delaney. He used to play for the Phillies; he’s with the Chicago White Sox now.”

Lee nodded. “I know him. Very talented, but very wild. If he ever learns to control himself enough to develop, he could be really great.”

Je

“Well,” Lee said, seeing her reflective expression, “Satchel Paige once said something that could be applied to thoughts about the past. ‘Don’t look back, something may be gaining on you.’” He paused. “In my case it’s usually true,” he added ruefully.

She knew that he was referring to his performance in football games. Despite the fact that she had been working for the team for a while, she still didn’t know much about the actual sport. From what she’d seen, Lee’s part in it seemed to be limited to dramatic leaps to snatch the ball out of the air, followed by headlong flight down the field, the ball tucked under his arm, with opposing players pummeling after him in mad pursuit, trying to catch him. Few did. He ran, as Coach Rankin said, like a quarterback’s dream, like a gazelle with a tiger on its tail.

Je

The menu Was in French on one side and in English on the other. Je

Everything was delicious. The waiters served sherbet and lemon wedges between each course, to “cleanse the palate” and brought hot, moist cloths scented with mint to wash their hands at the end. Musicians strolled about the room, the violinist stopping for a solo at several tables. Je