Cedar Woman (184 page)

Le
n
a s
l
o
wly
n
o
d
d
ed
in agreeme
n
t.

“
Yes, Nic
k
ie, I
d
isco
v
ered
yester
d
ay
t
h
at
Son
n
y
is
in
lo
v
e
with
m
e, and
i
n
stead
o
f
tal
k
i
n
g
to
him about
it,
I
f
led.
I
s
p
ent
a
ll
of
last
n
i
ght
m
ed
it
a
ti
ng
a
n
d
t
h
in
k
in
g
ab
out
it
,
a
n
d
d
is
cov
e
r
e
d
t
h
at
I
l
ove
h
i
m
t
oo. What
am
I
go
i
ng
to
do,
Nick
i
e
?
”

Nic
k
ie
g
azed
at
h
er frien
d
,
won
d
er filling her eyes.

“
H
o
w
ca
n
yo
u
b
e
s
o
d
e
n
s
e
?
”
N
ic
k
i
e
qu
e
r
ie
d
,
d
is
b
elie
f
an
d
a
to
u
c
h of anger tinge
i
n
g h
e
r
v
o
ice.

Ta
k
e
n
a
b
ac
k
,
Le
n
a
re
s
p
on
d
e
d
,
“
D
e
n
s
e
?
”

“
Lena,
the
m
an
has
been
in
l
ove w
it
h
yo
u
si
n
c
e
Go
d
was
a
b
o
y
,
a
n
d y
o
u
’r
e
j
u
st
now
catc
h
ing
on?
H
e
’
s
d
on
e
e
v
e
r
yt
h
i
n
g
bu
t c
o
lla
p
se
at
y
o
ur
f
eet.
Are
you
r
eally
t
h
at
b
lin
d
?
Th
o
se
eyes
of
you
r
s
m
ay
b
e
inc
r
e
d
i
b
ly
b
ea
u
tif
u
l,
b
u
t t
h
ey do
n
’t see very well as
far
as I can
tell!”

Lena
s
t
ar
e
d
at
her
fri
e
n
d
,
m
outh
a
g
ap
e
.
An
epiphany,
like
the
clap
o
f
th
u
n
d
e
r
h
eral
d
i
n
g
t
h
e arr
i
v
al
o
f
t
h
e T
h
u
nd
e
r
b
irds, filled
Le
n
a
’s mi
n
d with
clarity.
Nic
k
ie
lo
v
ed
Son
n
y.
How
could
I
have
not
seen
it?
Lena

ask
e
d
hersel
f
.

G
r
op
i
n
g
f
o
r her
c
h
air,
L
e
na
sl
o
w
ly
l
o
wer
e
d
h
e
rself
onto
its cu
s
h
ioned seat.
Her
head
spun,
her
heart
tr
i
p
ham
m
ered,
Ho
w
c
ou
l
d
I
n
ot
re
a
lize t
h
e tr
u
t
h
?

Ni
c
k
i
e
r
u
s
h
e
d
t
o
h
er
f
r
ien
d
’s
si
d
e.

“
Are
yo
u
all
r
i
ght, L
e
n
a
?
W
h
at’s
w
r
on
g
?
”

“
Nickie,
yo
u
love
So
nny
an
d
h
a
ve
f
o
r
ye
ars.
Ho
w
w
a
s
it
t
h
at
I di
d
n
’t
see
i
t
?
N
o
w,
I
h
a
ve
h
u
rt
yo
u
as
well
as
l
o
st
S
o
nn
y
.
I’m
a
fool!” Lena
c
rie
d
,
p
o
u
n
di
n
g h
e
r
cl
e
n
ch
e
d fists
on
her
k
n
ees.
“
A f
o
ol!”

B
u
rs
tin
g
i
n
t
o
Lena
’
s
o
f
f
i
ce,
B
o
y
L
a
dd
fa
l
t
ere
d
.
I
nde
e
d
,
he
a
l
m
o
st fell
o
v
er his
o
wn
feet
as he
a
tt
e
m
p
ted
to
re
s
train
his
h
e
ret
o
f
o
re
e
xp
l
os
io
n i
n
to
t
h
e
ro
o
m
.
Le
n
a, still seated
in
h
er
o
f
fice c
h
air,
was stro
k
ing
Nic
k
ie’s shi
n
i
ng
hair.
L
eani
n
g
aga
i
nst her
life-
l
o
n
g
f
rie
n
d
,
tears
st
r
ea
m
ing
d
o
w
n her
e
n
tr
a
n
cing
face,
Ni
c
k
ie
clutch
e
d
at
Len
a
’s
waist.
Crying quietly,
she at
last
ex
p
o
sed
her
love
f
o
r
S
o
n
n
y
.
B
o
y
Lad
d
’s
he
a
r
t
sw
e
lled
with
love a
n
d
pr
o
t
ectiveness.
He
felt
that
h
e
s
h
o
u
ld
lea
v
e
t
h
e
r
oo
m
,
bu
t
s
o
m
et
h
i
n
g ma
d
e
h
im
h
esitate.
His
ear
ca
u
g
h
t
Sonny’s
na
m
e,
and
as
realization c
a
m
e to
h
i
m
,
his
h
eart
s
h
attere
d
.