Allie morning, forced by t carlings, and rubbed iffness in slept er every dream, and s positions during t, as if verifying time.
S in t s t togeter and conversation came back to alked about ing.
It ed, yet uplifting, and as to replay in to see him again.
S tctering birds searc. Noaed daco sneak out o do it because s allo, but s been caugo unfold. quot;Look t; c sunrise ter t moment.
And as s out of bed to take , ser tchinking somehow he probably had.
S.
Noa nig, clean flannel s, blue jacket, and boots. eetairs, drank a quick glass of milk, and grabbed ts on t ter Clem greeted o tored. o let ts magic, loosening up his muscles, warming his body, clearing his mind.
tained, y taco above terline to keep off ted it free from t it at , inspected it quickly, took it to tered by , in ter s ream and engine.
t crisp, and t colors: black directly above ain peak, te range, becoming ligil it met took its place. ook a ferees and brackiser, and began to reflect. t of tle time to spend on ter. Camping, ing, o go. For t part o explore Neryside on foot ime, but in fourteen years canoed or kayaked once. It turned.
t mystical, about spending daer, to almost every day now.
Sunny and clear or cold and bitter, it never mattered as o music in er turtles resting on a partially submerged log and c, skimming just above ter before vaniso twilig preceded sunrise.
to tco stretcer. opped paddling enoug to keep aring until ligo break trees. o pause at daybreak - t erhe day.
, questions danced in er drops in a frying pan. Lon and ype of man tions of all, t Allie and why she had come.
By time rene it aken tricks out topped questioning it months ago.
o dry, stretces, and to tored to t a fe from ter, and as urned toed t ill a little stiff.
t burned off yet, and iffness in ed rain. o tern sky and saorm clouds, t definitely present. t blo to be outside w ime did he have? A few hours, maybe more. Maybe less.
on nes, brus doairs to tc before, picked up a little around t to ter. Steady, but it art dropping soon. tern sky promised t.
o never underestimate t o go out. tning story. Especially if er. A canoe o be y sparked in humid air.
ting off til later. to toolser co it, stone until it ;A dull ax is more dangerous t; o say.
t ty minutes splitting and stacking logs. easily, rokes efficient, and didnt break a s. a feo ter and brougting the fireplace.
Allies painting again and reac to touc, bringing back t seeing about made er all t sort of power did she have over him?
urned ao ter again. It c ch. Allie should be here soon.
Allie o cemperature. It cold outside, and s and comfortable, maybe a little snug, but it looked good, and sed some matched.
S toaken its toll sy beginning to er, t active ter in try, looked a little more run-do ill operating movies. Fort totten Park looked exactly t een years ago, and ser sc to o be.
No seemed, not seemed so improbable, everyto place as it sicle in t very difficult to imagine, because ines seldom c try club, to te scal. After t, a visit o get ready for dinner a point to leave a week she saw him regularly.
S t, one day en promised to and usually folloing back to t;I cant tonig; ;Im sorry, but I cant. Let me make it up to you later.quot;
S like to argue it, mostly because selling trutrial s imes ing to spend time h her now.
S gallery, almost in ion, turned and back. S t least t?
S inside - it of t Street - and broings. Many of tists rong sea flavor to ts of ocean scenes, sandy beacugboats, piers, and seagulls. But most of all, s .
On one ings t more suited astes. All ist s appeared to ecture of ting s, sed tist ed t completely focused. Yet t directing s. It ic. t about it, t, and s before s s because it reminded more closely and t to maybe Noa. Maybe sart painting again.
At nine-ty Allie left t to ment store doo took a fees to find ion. Paper, dra good enoug painting, but it art, and sed by time s back to at tarted getting t again, letting ser a fees of abstraction, screet scene as seen from came. It as if sopped.
S o try next and finally decided. Since s in arting. And t scene, it came naturally and began to take form.
Minutes passed quickly. Seadily but cime frequently so s be late, and s a little before noon. It aken almost t surprised looked as t aken a great deal longer. After rolling it up, s it in a bag and collected t of t exactly sure why.
Doairs again and out t she heard a voice behind her.
quot;Miss?quot;
Surned, kno ed at erday, a curious look on his face.
quot;Yes?quot;
quot;You nig;
S;I did?quot;
quot;Yes. All from a Mr. ;
O;Lon called?quot;
quot;Yes, maam, four times. I talked to ime. you. ;
Srying to simes? Four? could t mean? if something had happened back home?
quot;Did an emergency?quot;
; say, miss, but mention anytually, you, t;
Good, s. ts good. And t as suddenly, a pang in .
erday? ent? It ely unlike ? No... t to folloo Noa.
So call o get around it. But s to, strangely. time, and sed to spend it doing o il later, and for some reason s almost as if talking to e? A late dinner and then a walk? Maybe. Or a movie? Or...
quot;Miss?quot;
Almost noon, s. , sely felt as if shed been released from shackles.
talk to ed to. S feel t it didnt bot cing no;Is it really almost t;
ter looking at t;Yes, a quarter till, actually.quot;
quot;Unfortunately,quot; sarted, quot; rig reacell Ill try to call er?quot;
quot;Of course,quot; ion in ?
ly e for a single own, she was sure.
quot;t; s;Id appreciate it.quot;
tes later so Noaicipating t terday s t meant.
As ses after s thouse.
Noating in tea, listening for t turn up t around front and cree again. Same spot as yesterday. Clem barked a greeting at ail wagging, and he car.
Sepped out, patted Clem on t urned, smiling at Noao, and again a slig seeing from yesterday, t simply memories anymore. If anyttraction for ronger overnigense, and it made tle nervous in her presence.
Allie met ly on t after she pulled back.
quot;; s;w;
tle, t. quot;Not even a Good afternoon or ?quot;
Sience rongest attributes. quot;Fine. Good afternoon. ? And w;
ly, t;Allie, Ive got some bad ne;
quot;?quot;
quot;I o take you someplace, but sure we s;
quot;;
quot;torm. ell be outside and mig . Besides, t be lig;
quot;Its not raining yet. ?quot;
quot;Up t a mile.quot;
quot;And Ive never been t;
quot;Not ;
S for a second wermined.
quot;t care if it rains.quot;
quot;Are you sure?quot;
quot;Absolutely.quot;
ting t;tter go no; ;Can I bring t in for you?quot;
So o t it inside, in a bag, bringing it the house.
to ttle closer terday.
quot; exactly is t;
quot;Youll see.quot;
quot;Youre not even going to give me a ?quot;
quot;ell,quot; ;do you remember and c;
quot;I t about it t made me cry.quot;
quot; youre going to see today makes ;
quot;I guess I s;
ook a feeps before responding.
quot;You are special,quot; made ed to add somet , and Allie smiled a little before glancing aiced it later. After tossing to make sure missed anyto ter.
quot;Can I do anyt;
quot;No, just get in.quot;
After so ter, close to the dock.
tepped off to t carefully to prevent ty, kno w looked.
Allie sat at t of t missing tarted to paddle, but s rue.
Sed to see if surned most of all sed to c t toned at top, and s muscles flex roke. oo, and sly. here from paddling every morning.
Artistic, s. t artistic about his.
Sometural, as if being on ter of a gene passed on to ary pool. c discovered this area.
S tely resembled ed, almost contradictory in so many simple, a strangely erotic combination. On try boy, erms. Yet to ry t made , or per illed in o savor life more fully to, and t tracted o him.
quot; are you t;
S a bit as Noa o t. S said mucarted, and sed te like t.
quot;Good t; sly, and s t , and s her as well.
Sood t sometirring cc. And as t t in s, and surning away before iced.
quot;; she asked.
quot;Anot any more t.quot;
A pause. t;Its pretty out . Its almost like going back in time.quot;
quot;In a is, I t. t a single farm betarts, and ter is pure as rain. Its probably as pure as its ever been.quot;
Soell me, Noa do you remember most from t toget;
quot;All of it.quot;
quot;Anyticular?quot;
quot;No,quot; he said.
quot;You dont remember?quot;
er a moment, quietly, seriously. quot;No, its not t. Its not . I can remember every moment oget really pick any one time t meant more tire summer , t over another?
quot;Poets often describe love as an emotion t control, one t over plan on falling in love if you planned on falling in love once , it neitrol e our differences, and once iful ed. For me, love like t s toget a single moment of it.quot;
Allie stared at to knoo say and stayed silent, .
quot;Im sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, Allie. I didnt mean to. But t summer ayed cant be t t doesnt c about you t;
Sly, feeling ;It didnt make me uncomfortable, Noas just t I dont ever . you said iful. It takes a poet to talk t Ive ever met.quot;
Peaceful silence descended on tance. A mullet splas rocked t ever so sligopped, and toination.
Allie noticed it all, every sound, every t. ing ing t fe ty coming seeing ticle, ts, temper during dayligerday sed to run aension of it, replaced by somet t as she old red canoe.
S strangely satisfied t s Noaurned into type of man s s kno feroyed by ime, or even money. It took strengto o inner passion, and Noa.
t a poets, and people anding Noaood t toing t brougy to the world.
ook time off to fix a man or Eliot, finding images in ts of t? Or ed da t drove society, but s t be treated as unimportant. to , t only upon coming here.
Or rat. S once before, and again sting sometant as creating beauty. Painting o do, s no anot. A fair s, no matter w anyone said.
ould Lon encourage ing? Sings a couple of monter t started going out. It ract painting and to inspire t. In a resembled ting above Noaood completely, t may ouce. Lon ared at it, studied it almost, and t it o be. S boto answer.
S being completely fair. S Noa in knoure y. It ed to live, ted to live. And t describe te relations t necessary to be fulfilled in a relationsended to marry. Passion ime, and tibility ake its place. Shis was all she needed.
But noion. y in everyt an engaged to stare and glanced aen, but t o keep her eyes from him for long.
quot;; Noaorees near the bank.
Allie looked around, not seeing anyt;?quot;
quot;; ing t an old tree t completely hidden from view.
ree, and boto loo keep from bumping them.
quot;Close your eyes,quot; o er and felt t of t forhe creek.
quot;Okay,quot; er opped paddling. quot;You can open t;