The Sacrifice (52 page)

Only Scott's and Frank's mental wheels turned fast enough to instantly read between the lines of the decision. Catawba lost because Frank botched the cross-examination of Pete Pigpickin. Scott looked at Frank, who turned his head toward him at the same time. Their eyes met again. Frank wasn't smiling, and Scott didn't either. He knew there was no use trying to communicate an unspoken message of encouragement that would not be received. Frank left the room without congratulating anyone on either team.

During the ride home to Catawba, Dustin and the other boys talked about the mock trial competition for thirty minutes, then switched back to football. As he listened, Scott realized that the day's activities were just a blip on the boys' radar screen of activities. It had been fun, but nobody in the halls on Monday would be scrambling for news about the results of the mock trial competition.

The car in which Frank was riding arrived at the high school before Scott, and the young man was gone. Janie and Alisha were still there.

“Thank you, Mr. Ellis,” Janie said. “I can't wait until next year. Will you be helping with the team again? You're great. I can't imagine anyone being better than you.”

Scott hadn't even thought about the future. “Uh, I'll consider it.”

“Please do it,” Alisha added. “There are some other kids we can recruit for the team now that we know what it's all about.”

After all the students left, Scott turned to Kay. “What next?”

“I think we need to have a victory celebration.”

“But we didn't win.”

“Objection overruled. That's a mere technicality. Didn't you see Janie's face when she was selected best attorney?”

“Yeah, that was one of my favorite images of the day,” Scott admitted. “What did you have in mind?”

“Dinner tonight. The two of us.”

“Without the kids?”

Kay laughed. “You sound like a guy with toddlers. We'll do something with the students later. Probably during the school day.”

“Okay. Where would you like to go?”

“Would it be too much trouble to go back to Charlotte for dinner?”

“No. Where?”

“A surprise, but it's a nice place. Wear a tie and pick me up at six o'clock.”

“Sounds fancy.”

“It has historical interest.”

40

Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together.

P
ETRARCH

S
cott knocked on the door of Kay's apartment and waited. She didn't answer. He knocked again and straightened his tie. Still no answer. Waiting on Kay's doorstep was beginning to be a pattern, and he knocked a third time. He was reaching for the door handle to see if it was locked when Kay opened the door. His mouth dropped open an inch.

“You're gorgeous,” he said.

Kay was wearing a long black sheath dress with a silver necklace and earrings. Her hair was done up in a French twist with several wisps escaping around her face. Over one arm was a white wrap. The only missing item was shoes.

“Thanks, come in. I'm almost ready.” She disappeared into her bedroom.

Scott stepped into the place where she'd stood and caught a whiff of her perfume. He took a deeper breath and wished he had Nicky's sensitive nose so he could appreciate all the nuances that were floating in the air. When she returned, her high heels brought her closer to eye level with Scott.

“I'm ready.”

Kay threw her sweater around her shoulders and went down the steps. Scott followed.

“Let's stop at a mall and let me rent a tuxedo,” he said.

“You're fine.”

He opened the door of his vehicle for her and caught another hint of fragrance.

“You need a corsage.”

“No, I don't.”

He walked around to the driver's side of his vehicle. Kay was right. A flower would detract rather than enhance. He got in and started the engine.

“Where to?” he asked.

“Charlotte. That's enough for now.”

Kay was going to play this evening out her way. So far, Scott had no complaints. He drove out of the apartment complex and in a few minutes they were on the road to the city.

Kay was in a talkative mood, and after a few minutes, Scott stopped being overwhelmed by her appearance and settled into the conversation. She was full of questions. Nothing about the bomb explosion and the death of Steve Robinson. They'd already covered that territory. She peppered him with questions about his childhood up to the time they'd dated.

“Why didn't you call me when you were home on leave?” she asked. “Everything stopped so abruptly.”

“I called, but you had started dating Bill Corbin. He was one of my friends, and I didn't want to create confusion.”

“Bill Corbin?” she asked with surprise. “I never dated him.”

“Yeah. I talked to your father, and he told me that you and Bill had gone to Charlotte.”

Kay laughed. “I remember. We had to buy supplies for an art project. All we did was share a car ride. He took me straight home.”

“Oh.”

Scott suddenly wondered how different his life might have been if he'd not given up so easily. They drove in silence for a few moments.

“Are you thinking of what could have been?” Kay guessed.

Scott didn't lie. “Yes.”

“Don't do it. We've both made mistakes. Mine have been much worse than yours. The important thing is how we're living our lives today.”

“
Carpe diem
. Seize the day.”

“Yes, only I want to grab what's important, not just focus on surface things.”

“Does that mean I can't tell you how beautiful you are?”

Kay smiled. “Thanks, but more than how I look on the outside, I want to be beautiful on the inside.”

Scott thought for a second before responding. He suspected Kay meant the way God was changing how she looked at life.

“So, should I say God has made you beautiful?” he asked.

Kay patted his arm. “If you said that to me, it would be the greatest compliment of my life.”

When they reached the outskirts of Charlotte, he said, “Time for more directions. Which road?”

“South Boulevard near Uptown.”

From its beginning point in the center of the city, South Boulevard crossed over the two abandoned gold mines that had attracted settlers to the Charlotte area in the 1840s. Many of the older buildings in the area had been renovated and converted to expensive condominiums, shops, and restaurants. Farther out, it was less chic.

“Are we going to the South 21 Drive-In?” he asked. “I wouldn't mind eating in the car.”

“No.”

Two blocks later, Kay pointed. “Turn in there.”

It was the Barrymore Restaurant—the place where Scott and Kay ate before the high-school prom.

Scott laughed. “I'm dense. I should have guessed.”

“Yes. You're not as smart as I thought. The questions I asked about the past were a huge clue.”

The restaurant had valet parking by boys about the same age as Scott when he'd brought Kay twelve years before. Then, it had been awkward giving the keys to his father's car to someone his own age. Now, he didn't give it a second thought. Kay had made a reservation.

When they were seated, she asked, “Notice anything else?”

Scott looked her over again from her head to her hands holding the menu. The diamonds around her neck sparkled in the candlelight. There was a lot to notice.

“Not me,” she corrected. “The restaurant.”

He glanced around the fancy establishment. White tablecloths, older waiters carrying bottles of wine, a man playing a piano softly in the bar area. Couples like themselves dressed up for a special occasion and a few businessmen on an unlimited expense account.

“No, it looks the same.”

“It is. This is the table where we sat. I remembered because it was next to the steps leading up to the bar.”

Scott tried to bring back the scene but couldn't capture it.

“I'll have to trust you. It was like tonight. I was so caught up with your beauty that no other details remain in my memory bank.”

Kay smiled. “You're much smoother than you were at age eighteen. Actually, you spent a lot of time during dinner talking with Perry Dixon.”

Scott grimaced. “Is it too late to apologize?”

“Yes. Do you remember what we ate?”

“Steak?” he guessed. The restaurant was locally famous for its filet mignon.

“Right, but I won't press you for anything else.”

The waiter took their order and brought out salads.

“What happened to Linda, the girl who was dating Perry?” Kay asked.

“She's Mrs. Perry Dixon,” Scott answered. “They married soon after high school.”

“I'm not surprised. While you and Perry were having your long, long conversation, Linda and I talked. She was a senior, and I was a sophomore, so we didn't know each other at all. I wasn't sure what she thought about you taking me to the dance. I think she had a friend she wanted you to ask.”

Scott swallowed a bite of salad. “Oh yeah, Mary somebody.”

“Linda and I hit it off, and when we were leaving, she told me we were a ‘cute couple.'”

Scott nodded. “She hasn't changed her opinion. I work out at Perry's gym a few days a week. I told him about you, and Linda has been very interested in the whole situation. I think they want us to come over for supper.”

“That would be fun.”

Their steaks arrived. Scott had a greater appreciation for a fine cut of meat as a man than he did as a teenager. He took a bite. It was perfect.

“This is almost as good as the steak we cooked over the fire,” he said.

“There are a few differences,” Kay replied. “The chairs are more comfortable, and the smoke from the fire isn't chasing us in a circle.”

“Does that mean you didn't like camping?”

Kay cut through her piece of steak. “No, I loved it. I even did some writing.”

“When?”

“In the morning while you were washing dishes after breakfast. Nicky visited me in my tent. His paw print is on the edge of the paper.”

“What did you write about?”

“About the hike. It was more of a diary entry than anything else.”

“What stood out about the trip?”

Kay chewed thoughtfully for a moment. “The overlook where we sat on the rocks. It was a neat place. And the way you didn't get upset when you lost your lures in the stream.”

“Really? I wouldn't have thought that was important enough to write about.”

“It showed me something about you. I hate it when I have to walk on eggshells around someone because they get angry and upset too easily. After watching you respond to the lost lures, I knew that I could relax with you.”

Kay wanted to know more about Scott's work at the office. He told her several stories about his interaction with Mr. Humphrey.

“That's what I wanted you to do with Frank,” Kay said. “He needs someone he respects to talk to.”

Scott shrugged. “For some reason, I didn't make the cut.”

They ate the last bites of meat and shared a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. When it came time to pay the check, Scott reached for his credit card. It wasn't there.

“I must have left my wallet in my car,” he said. “I'll be back in a minute.”

While Kay waited, an older couple who were leaving the restaurant came by their table. The woman stopped and said, “I have been watching you all evening. You are such a beautiful couple. Is this your anniversary?”

“No, we're not married. We came here when we dated in high school, so in a sense it's an anniversary.”

“Have a good evening,” the woman replied. “And create new memories.”

Kay was pondering the woman's comment when Scott walked up to the table.

“I paid the bill at the front. Who were you talking to?”

“A woman who was like Mrs. Kilgore at Bishop Moore's church.”

“The dessert lady?”

“Yes. Only it wasn't the dessert I was thinking about. It has to do with someone who sees things before they happen.”

“What did she see?”

“I'm not sure. Maybe the future.”

Kay was less talkative during the drive back to Catawba. The lights of the city quickly slipped behind and were replaced by dimmer reflections from the windows of houses along the shores of Lake Norman.

When they arrived at Kay's apartment complex, Scott got out and walked her up the steps to her front door. Kay unlocked the door.

“This has been a great celebration,” he said.

Scott hesitated. He wanted to kiss her but wasn't sure if the invitation was open. Kay faced him, and Scott's heart skipped. He felt more nervous than a schoolboy. He cleared his throat.

“Do you remember what I told you about my fear at the overlook?”

Kay nodded and kept her eyes on his.

“Would I be making a mistake if I kissed you?”

“No.”

Scott leaned forward, and they leaped together across the chasm from friendship to the first steps of intimacy.

When they parted, Kay said, “Thank you, Scott.”

“For what?”

“For helping to bring me back to life.”