At least one of us was thinking clearly.
“I’ll see you later?” he said tentatively.
“Yes,” I said simply.
He smiled.
We walked down the stairs in silence.
In the kitchen I pulled him towards me and we kissed hungrily. I held him as long as I could, but too soon, it was time for him to go. He kissed me lightly on the forehead and then ducked out through the kitchen door.
I’d forgotten to remind him to charge his phone.
Feeling miserable, I threw the chocolatey sheets in the washing machine and made up the bed with clean ones. I removed every piece of evidence, every trace that there’d been anyone in the house but me: the doormat wife of a bullying man.
I was disgusted with myself: and the list of reasons was endless.
Chapter 12
Donna was on time. Of course.
“Good morning, Caroline. How are you today?”
“Just fine, thank you, Donna. Are these your sons?”
Two attractive men in their twenties with Johan’s Nordic looks were getting out of Donna’s station wagon.
“Kurt, Stefan – Caroline Wilson.”
“Hello, nice to meet you. I hear you’re down from college for the summer break?”
We chatted easily while the boys loaded up Donna’s trunk with the boxes of food stashed in my kitchen.
“My goodness,” she said. “There’s enough here to feed the five thousand!”
“Too much?” I asked anxiously.
She laughed. “I’m sure it’ll all get eaten: it looks delicious.”
I grabbed my notebook and camera, shoved the spare films in the pockets of my shorts and we headed off.
“How many people do you think will be there today?”
“Oh, well, probably a couple of thousand in total: it’s mostly folk from the Naval Medical Centre but quite a few families come from the Marine Corps, too. The Peters will be there, and I think Shirley said the boys had been given the day off work, so I expect they’ll tag along… especially if they know you’ll be there – with food.”
I stared out of the window, hoping my burning cheeks wouldn’t give me away.
I hadn’t realized the picnic was quite such a big deal. Of course, if I hadn’t been so preoccupied, I might have been a little more aware. But then again, I’d never gone out of my way to be involved with family life on the Base, not having had a family.
I’d been to Harbor Beach just once before. It was a wide, flat esplanade of fine sand, perfect for families. Lifeguard towers ran the length of the beach between the jetties, where a couple of surfers were catching some small waves. A playground on the sand was a major attraction for the younger children and Donna informed me that some of the older ones – and their parents – would be making use of the volleyball courts: just supply your own ball and net.
The beach was already getting crowded; the military personnel stood out a mile with their crew cuts and buzz-cuts. The parking lot was a cheerful, chaotic crowd with mountains of food being ferried to the fire pits that ringed the beach.
The tide was way out; it would be quite a hike for anyone wanting to go for a swim. But most people seemed intent on playing and eating their way through the day.