No easy way out (17 page)

Virginia was more than happy to cooperate with the Disney
resort. She left reality and her blue Datsun in the Chip 'n' Dale
parking lot, took a ferryboat to the main entrance gate, then
boarded an old-fashioned steam train for a circular route around
the entire Magic Kingdom.

The Walt Disney World Railroad chugged her back to Main Street,
U.S.A. She settled into a horse-drawn trolley that clopped along
the quiet boulevards of the turn-of-the-century village. Popcorn
wagons and balloon vendors festooned the flower-lined square. There
was a penny arcade with pinball machines dating back to the 1920s,
emporiums, confectionery shops, and a movie house showing old
Disney cartoons.

Along with everyone else aboard the trolley she yelled and waved
to Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Pinocchio, as that great trio of
characters paraded among the crowds. A barbershop quartet
harmonizing in front of their shop provided a group of Japanese
tourists with the perfect opportunity to start clicking their
cameras.

Virginia passed through the archway of Cinderella's Castle into
Fantasyland. She took a cruise through hundreds of singing, dancing
international dolls proclaiming, "It's a small world, after all."
Then she went twenty thousand leagues under the sea in Captain
Nemo's submarine, the
Nautilus.
She bypassed a half-dozen
other rides to take the oneway Skyway to Tomorrowland.

The scenic journey high over the magic kingdom was breathtaking.
The romantic spires of Cinderella's Castle soared into a perfect
azure sky. It was hard to believe most of the country was being
bombarded with snow and freezing temperatures. But the first week
in February showed the tourists that Florida was truly the Sunshine
State: her name meant "Feast of Flowers."

A revolutionary new transportation system, the WEDway People
Mover, made traveling through Tomorrowland a pleasure. Virginia
rode on a mission to Mars, took a "magic carpet round the world,"
courtesy of a 360-degree movie screen, then joined the throngs of
screaming clench-eyed riders who soared through Space Mountain.

She piloted her own spacecraft on an aerial adventure and traced
one hundred years of progress as presented by General Electric. It
was a simple matter to go back in time: all you did was wish and
head for Frontierland.

There the
Richard E. Irvin,
a Mississippi riverboat,
provided a more relaxed, languid view of the unique dream created
by the gifted hand of Walt Disney. Virginia hopped aboard a raft
for a journey across the Rivers of America, anxious to explore the
twisted caves on Tom Sawyer Island and rustic Fort Sam Clemens.

Lunch and entertainment went hand in hand at the Diamond
Horseshoe Revue. Afterward Virginia tested her sharpshooting skills
at the Shootin' Gallery, then caught a runaway mine train--Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Audioanimatronics abounded, from the foot-stomping, singing
Country Bear Jamboree to the vivid, raucous buccaneers in the
Pirates of the Caribbean. In the Hall of Presidents, Abraham
Lincoln gave a dramatic recitation as all the other American
presidents watched their spellbound audience with a realism that
was astounding.

Virginia climbed through the Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse
and finished her tour of Adventureland aboard a jungle cruise that
was fraught with danger at every curve of the tropical river. An
early-design fire engine brought her back to Main Street to the
Epcot Preview Center. There she settled in the theater, along with
several hundred invited guests, for a special sneak look at Walt
Disney's greatest dream, which she had helped turn into
reality.

Epcot-Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow-an
eight-hundred-million-dollar project that was more than just
entertainment. It was literally a center for prototype concepts.
The Epcot Center theme, Spaceship Earth, illustrates how important
to world survival communication has been in our past and how
critical it is to our future.

Disney "imagineers" developed futuristic people-moving systems,
more realistic special effects, all-new visual experiences,
structural advancements, complex computer programming, and many
other scientific achievements that entertain as well as show new
frontiers of modern technology.

Epcot Center would be a showcase for the best ideas of industry,
government, and academia.

The twenty-first century would truly begin at Epcot Center.
Virginia found it difficult to contain her excitement; like
everyone else she was on her feet applauding the newest wonder of
the world.

Alex, however, remained seated. The blue-velour theater chair
provided him with a perfect view of his wife. Virginia looked quite
well, he thought. Much better than he, after forty days and forty
nights of separation.

His gray eyes encompassed every detail of her feminine form. She
was wearing a slim navy jump suit, which more than emphasized her
long legs and well-proportioned curves. The overhead lighting
haloed her shoulder-length hair, turning the soft waves into molten
gold.

She was in a very animated discussion with three men, all of
whom he recognized as fellow scientists. They seemed to be hanging
on her every word- interrupting with a question, holding their
breath for the answer only she could provide.

A tall dark-haired man whom Alex did not know came up and placed
a red jacket over Virginia's shoulders. She looked back and smiled
her thanks. Alex stood up. The stranger's hands had not moved. He
didn't like that. After all, Virginia was still his wife.

"More Rabbit than scientist tonight?"

The instant wash of color that tinted her cheeks ebbed away
quite rapidly, leaving her complexion a sallow mask. Virginia
turned, her blue eyes meshed with those of her husband. "Hello."
She had great difficulty voicing a coherent word.

Alex nodded, then shook hands with the three men he knew.
Ignoring their puzzled expressions over his cryptic greeting, he
turned his attention to the broad-shouldered stranger.

"This is Clayton York," Virginia supplied in a voice that felt
shakier than it sounded. "He's with Briarcliff. Clay, this is Alex
Braddock." She held her breath as the men exchanged the usual
social amenities.

"If you gentlemen would excuse us . . ." Alex's hand clamped
around her wrist. "I'm going to borrow the good doctor for a
moment." Virginia mumbled an apology as Alex literally dragged her
into a sheltered corner.

"Would it have been too embarrassing for you to introduce me as
your husband?" came his sarcastic query.

She pulled her arm free, hastily rescuing the falling jacket.
"As I recall, you walked out on that status and on me." Virginia
responded, turning her attention back to the group milling inside
the theater.

"As I recall, you didn't think it was such a great loss," Alex
cracked, his voice clipped and brusque.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Virginia inquired
politely, raking her left hand through her hair. She refused to
look at Alex. She didn't have to. She carried an indelible image of
this complex man who was her husband in her mind for all time.

A glint of gold caught his attention. "No," Alex lied, jamming
his own hands into the pockets of his navy trousers. "I'm sorry I
took you away from your friends."

The odd inflection in his voice added to her confusion. Virginia
turned to confront him but found he had moved away. She watched
Alex disappear into the laughing, chattering crowd. The broad
shoulders beneath his white fisherman knit sweater seemed
uncharacteristically slumped. Or was she imagining that he could be
hurting as much as she?

The switch from fantasy to reality had been a painful one. Even
the wonders of Disney couldn't erase the memories that haunted her.
Virginia left the theater, took the monorail back to the main gate,
and bid a troubled good-bye to a land of dreams.

The BeeLine Expressway took her across the state. The crisp
night air was perfumed by fragrant orange blossoms, the sky
spangled with stars and a sliver of moon. Virginia wished she had
been there when the first star had peeked through the inky cloak.
But what would she have wished for? Alex. They seemed further apart
than ever before.

Her hand groped along the dimly lit dashboard. She found the
knob, and the radio sputtered to life with Barbara Mandrell's
"Sleeping Single in a Double Bed." Virginia didn't need to be
reminded that she was doing just that.

She punched in another station and found Bob Seger and the
Silver Bullet Band's "Trying to Live My Life Without You." He was
right, she conceded, a lump forming in her throat, that it was the
hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

Viciously her forefinger stabbed the radio knob again, and the
disc jockey announced Tammy Wynette's "D-I-V-O-R-C-E." Was that
what Alex had wanted to discuss? She snapped the radio off. Her
eyes were rapidly deploying tears of love, fear, pain, and
anger.

The black stenciled letters on the mailbox gave Alex another
cause for hope. It read Braddock, not Farrell. The wedding ring on
Virginia's hand last night essentially made the same statement For
better or worse, till death us do part. He had never taken his ring
off-he never would.

He parked the rented silver Zephyr behind a blue import. The
beachside A-frame hadn't been difficult to find. It was an oddity
among the sprawling Spanish-style homes. The chalet's rough-hewn
cedar planking was weathered by salt and sun; towering palms vied
with the high-peaked blue roof for a place in the sun, while banana
and orange trees, studded with near-ripe fruit, dotted the
lawn.

The unmistakable Atlantic roared its presence- the tangy salt
air excited his lungs as gulls and pelicans watched his every step
from a cloud-ribboned blue sky. Alex followed the poinsettia-lined
walk to the front door. He was surprised to find how shaky his hand
was, having made two attempts before he could zero in on the
doorbell.

Virginia paled at the sight of him, the dark circles under her
eyes matching the gray shadows that silhouetted his. She held the
door open and motioned him inside. Her silence came from fear;
anguish pinched her features. During the past six weeks she had
filled the limbo of separation with dreams of hope. Would this
confrontation shatter those dreams?

Alex could understand why she hadn't wanted to give up her
house. It was sunny and inviting, full of plants and shells. Brown
and beige leaf-print fabric covered the rattan sofa; wicker and
glass accents were everywhere. His apartment was more like a hotel
room. Furniture bought for comfort-just a place to sleep. Lately he
hadn't been able to do even that.

The view from the triple French doors caught and held his
attention. Sea oats and cacti banked downward, disappearing into
soft white sand. Beyond lay the sea. Today its turbulent rolling
breakers crashed an angry refrain against the beach.

Virginia loved the sea-Alex knew that. Somehow that gave him
strength. She so easily accepted the ocean's moods. Wouldn't she be
able to forgive him his?

Virginia perched on the edge of a rattan chair. She tried to put
words together. "Can . . . can I get you something?" she finally
blurted, wiping clammy palms against well-worn jeans. "Yes."

She steeled herself. This would be it-words that could kill,
deadlier than bullets. Divorce. Freedom. "Coffee, tea, a drink?"
How inane, she thought, but she was scared to death.

Alex stood in front of her. His gray eyes searched her very
soul. "What I really need is forgiveness, patience, understanding,
and love." He dropped to his knees, his left hand groping for hers.
Alex held his breath and waited.

Her fingers entwined with his. "You've always had the last," she
whispered. Tears dribbled freely down her cheeks and splashed on
their hands. "I think I need the others just as well."

He stood up, taking her with him. The warmth of her body
reassured him, giving him the courage he so badly needed.
"Virginia, I love you very much." He gently wiped her tear-ravaged
face. "You do believe that?"

"Yes. Yes, I do, Alex." Her fingertips sought to smooth the
tension from around his mouth. They pressed along the hollows of
his cheeks to his eyes, only to find dampness there that matched
her own. "I love you. I never stopped." Virginia pulled free of his
embrace. "I am just so scared that love is not going to be enough
for us."

She wrapped her arms tightly around her torso, trying to combat
the numbness that invaded her green fleece-lined shirt. "The fight
we had really skirted the issues. Important issues that have to be
talked about."

Alex took a deep breath. "You're right. In fact, you were right
about a lot of things." He gave her a wan smile and sat down on the
chair she had vacated. "I will admit that I found it very difficult
being married to such a successful woman, and yet that was one of
the things that attracted me in the first place."

He ran a hand underneath the collar of his tan knit shirt. "I
loved your independence, your talent, your abilities, and your
creativity. Of course, it wasn't part of
my
life then," Alex
sighed. He swallowed hard and continued.

"Jealousy is a very difficult emotion to put into words. I was
even jealous last night when I saw Clayton York put his hands on
you." His raised palm halted her interruption. "That's something I
have to deal with. I have always been very vulnerable where you are
concerned. It will take time, and that's why I need your patience
and understanding.

"Virginia, you are just so damn good at what you do that it
scares me." He looked down at his clenched fists. "In a way it
emasculated me. I think that's why I suddenly turned into the
consummate male chauvinist. I felt if I relegated you to the
traditional woman's role, it would ease my own insecurities."