Cedar Woman (131 page)

Le
n
a
wa
k
e
n
ed
with
a
startled
cry.
Pill
o
w
cl
u
tc
h
ed
wit
h
i
n
t
h
e
circle

of
her
a
r
m
s,
she
sea
r
ch
e
d
t
h
e
r
oom fran
t
icall
y
.
S
l
ow
ly
,
s
l
ow
ly
,
h
e
r p
ou
nd
i
ng
heart
ret
u
r
n
ed
to
its
nor
m
al
beat.
Lying
do
w
n
,
she
clos
e
d
her eyes brea
t
hing
deeply.

It w
a
s
a dr
eam
.
Th
ank
y
o
u,
C
reat
o
r
,
it w
a
s
j
u
st
a dre
a
m!

Lena
rose
from
her
bed
a
nd
raced
for
t
h
e
show
e
r.
It
w
a
s
August, and hot,
as
t
h
e condo
had no air
c
o
nditioning.
C
o
nv
e
rsely,
in
Dece
m
ber, the
upstairs
was
freez
i
ng;
the
ancient
for
c
ed
air
furnace
prov
i
d
e
d
heat
on
l
y
t
o
t
h
e
f
i
rs
t
f
lo
o
r.
A
t
w
o
-way
v
e
n
t
all
o
wed
w
h
ate
v
e
r
we
a
k
h
eat
cou
l
d
f
i
nd
its
way
to
t
h
e sp
a
cious
m
aster
b
ed
ro
o
m
,
but
L
ena
noticed
t
h
a
t the
curtains
of
t
en
froze
t
o
the
windo
w
s,
and
a
n
y
b
e
v
e
r
a
g
e
s
h
e
h
a
p
p
e
n
ed to
bring
up
to
t
h
e
ro
o
m sported
a
ri
m
e
o
f
ice
t
h
e
f
o
llowing
m
o
r
n
i
n
g.
B
u
t t
od
ay t
h
e air
was stifli
n
g, alth
o
ugh
it was
on
l
y fi
v
e a.
m
.

Ju
m
p
i
n
g
q
u
ickly
i
n
to
t
h
e
shower,
Le
n
a felt
t
h
e
co
o
l
water
b
e
g
i
n
to slough
a
way the re
m
n
ants of
t
h
e
night
m
are.

What a crazy
dream!
s
h
e
t
h
o
u
ght
t
o herse
l
f.

M
entally
shaking
her
h
ea
d
,
she
a
p
plied
sh
a
m
poo,
a
n
d
w
a
sh
e
d
her
l
o
n
g
,
g
l
ossy
t
resses.
S
h
e
h
ad
a
b
u
sy
d
a
y
ahead
o
f
h
e
r,
a
n
d
to
n
ig
h
t Michael
wou
l
d
be
c
o
m
ing
ho
m
e
after
a
week
l
o
ng
a
b
s
e
nce,
the
i
r
first

separation
sin
c
e their
m
arriage.

Lena
lon
g
e
d
t
o
see
h
i
m
.
The
we
e
k
h
a
d
d
r
a
gg
e
d
by
i
n
a
s
ee
m
i
ng
l
y e
nd
less pro
g
ressi
o
n
o
f
l
o
n
g
,
l
on
ely
h
o
urs,
a
n
d
n
e
rvo
u
s
excit
e
m
e
n
t
filled her he
a
r
t at t
h
e
t
h
ou
ght
o
f ho
l
di
n
g him
in
her ar
m
s once
a
g
a
in.

No
w
on
d
er
I
h
a
d
t
hat
h
o
rr
i
ble
d
re
a
m,
she
m
u
sed.
It
has
seemed like years s
i
n
c
e Michael left for
t
h
e
pow
w
o
w.

An
a
w
a
r
d
-
w
i
n
n
ing
g
r
ass
d
a
nce
r
,
Michael
made
the decision
that,
i
n spite
of
t
h
e fa
c
t
t
h
at
he
w
o
uld
m
iss
his
belov
e
d
w
i
fe,
he need
e
d
to
go
t
o t
h
e
p
o
wwow
h
eld
in
Keoku
k
,
Iowa.
B
o
y
La
d
d
was
t
h
e
h
ea
d
m
an
t
h
is