Courting Alley Cat (20 page)

              “What!” She sat up, staring at him as though he had grown horns. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”

              “But I’ve already decided.”

              “Then undecide.”

              “Why? Why don’t you want me to?”

              “Because it’s you. It’s something you like to do. Something you’re obviously good at. You can’t just quit.”

              “It almost cost you your life.”

              “That was a one-time thing. The good that you do far outweighs the bad. Chances are that won’t happen again. You know that.”

              “It’s not worth the risk. I work with crackpots. That’s the reality. I won’t risk you or our children.”

              “Children?”

              “Well, yeah,” he said, his face flushing. “The ones we’re going to have. I sort of thought that it went with the whole marriage thing.”

              “Hmm,” she said, with a mischievous smile. “It’s about time you caught up. I was thinking we should have five children. What do you think?”

              He looked a little green around the gills. She tried hard not to laugh.

              “I suppose so,” he said.

              Then she couldn’t help it. She laughed. “I’m only teasing,” she said, between giggles.

              “You teasing that you want five children or do you not want children at all.”

              “I do want children,” she said, sobering. “We’ll figure out the details together.”

              “Ok,” was all he said.

              She shook her head. “But you know, I was thinking about this whole marriage thing.”

              “What about it?”

              “I have to finish my book. I’m already behind after today.”

              “See, there you go. It’s my fault you’re behind and it’s because I belong to SAR.”

              “Don’t be silly.”

              “Ok, then, let me help you.”

              Her eyes widened. “Help me? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

              “I’ll help you with your writing.”

              Once again - had he grown horns? Apparently the man, however, good intentioned he was, did not understand - well, he didn’t understand much.

              “You can’t. First of all, writing is a solitary pursuit. We already talked about this And second, I only have two weeks to finish it.”

              “Two weeks? I didn’t think we’d get married that soon”

              Was that a look of panic on his face? “When were you thinking we’d do it then?” she asked, just to see how he would react.

              “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.”

              “What have you thought about?’

              “I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

              “What about things like where will we live?”

              “In a house.”

              “Where? Dallas or Hanover?”

              “I don’t know.

              “That doesn’t seem very practical.” When had she become the practical one? She’d struggled with it. He should, too. She needed to know what he was willing to do.

              “Alley,” he said, taking her hand. “I don’t care where we live. We can live in the desert of New Mexico for all I care. If that’s what it takes for you to be with me. I just want you.”

              She shook her head. “We need to talk about this.”

              “Of course. We can talk all you want.”

              “Not now. I’m on a deadline.”

              “Ok. When?”

              “Two weeks. I need to two weeks.”

              “Ok,” he said, taking a step back and crossing his arms. “I’ll wait.”

              She felt a bubble of panic in her throat. “You can’t just wait.”

              “Ok,” he said. “What do you want me to do?”

              Alley thought. She thought about her book and her deadline. She thought about Justin and how good it had felt to see him. How good it felt to be with him now. She thought about how much she did not want him to leave. She thought about how he had read through some of her story and had had a perspective that had helped her see things differently.

              Then he smiled.

              And her heart stumbled. He was here. Now. She couldn’t just send him away. He wanted to marry her.

              Marriage.

              She needed to sit down. Then she remembered. She was sitting down.

              She felt a little weak.

              “Are you all right?” he asked.

              She was eye level with him now. Her arms wrapped around his neck and his arm had her safely tucked against him. “You really want to marry me?”

              He laughed, a laugh of relief and joy. “I’ve always wanted to marry you.”

              “Always. Since when?”

              “Since you were about thirteen years old.”

              She looked at him strangely.

              “I was only fifteen. And you were the cutest thing I’d ever seen.”

              She smiled.

              And she knew.

              This was the most important thing in her life.

The end.

                           
Winston took Allora’s hand and pulled her toward him. She came against him and he ran his hand along her hair and down her cheek. Her lips parted in invitation. He smiled, his eyes full of his love for her. They were bound together now - forged forever in time and beyond. Nothing would ever come between them.

                            She would follow him anywhere.

              Alley sat at the dining room table and stared at the box Fed Ex had just dropped off at the front porch. She had been waiting - watching and listening for the truck. From past experience, she knew he wouldn’t ring the doorbell.

              It was so hard to wait. She wanted to tear into it. Yet, she wanted to savor it, to delay the suspense. Then, finally, after what seemed like an interminable fifteen minutes, he emerged from the basement and leading Spot’s mother toward the front door – the mother of Spot, the cat.

              Seeing her sitting there, the box in front of her, he winked and held up his index finger in a symbol that said, give me just one minute.

              She smiled. She knew, he too, had been anticipating the box’s arrival.

              “Now how many times a day do I put the drops in Spot’s ears?” she asked, seemingly reluctant to leave.

              Justin was doing a good job of hiding his impatience. “Three times,” he said. “I wrote it on there for you.”

              “Ok, very good. I really appreciate it,” she said.

              He held the door open for her and she continued to talk as she made her way out the door. “How it that lovely wife of yours?”

              “She is just great.”

              “How much longer?”

              “Only two more months,” he said. “She just can’t wait.”

              “The first one is always the best.”

              “So I’ve heard. I’ll call you tomorrow and check on Spot,” he said.

              “Ok, Dear, I’m sure she’ll be just fine now.”

              After she settled Spot in the car and allowed Justin to close the car door, Justin was at Alley’s side in two seconds.

              “You waited,” he said.

              “Of course.”

              “Ok, are you ready?” he asked. “We’ve been waiting for this for months.”

              She glanced at him, biting her lower lip. “I’m a little nervous. I knew someone whose cover had a girl with three arms.”

              “I’m sure it’s wonderful,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose.

              “I just want it to be right.” She picked up the box cutter that she had waiting and carefully cut the tape. Then, taking a deep breathe, she opened the flaps.

              There, carefully wrapped in plastic, were the copies of her graphic novel. There on the cover was a perfect depiction of Allora, the wind blowing her long black hair behind her, her sword lifted high with both hands in front of her. One Prada-clad foot firmly holding down an evil looking wolf. And there on the back cover was Alley’s picture.

              “I was so much thinner.”

              “You were,” Justin agreed.

              Alley smiled and felt a tear slide down her cheek as she fanned the pages with her words and her drawings.             

              “See,” Justin said, proudly, “it’s just wonderful.” He reached down and caressed her swollen abdomen. “Just like our baby will be.”

              Their eyes locked. Hers tearful with all the love she felt for him welling up inside her.

              “I love you, Alley Cat.”

              “I know,” she said.

              And she knew she had managed to have it all.

              But more than anything else, she had Justin and that just made everything else even better.

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