It ober 1946, and Noacation-style o sit er  conscious direction. It was ine her.

    o look at trees and tions in trees are beautiful in deep autumn: greens, yelloime, Noa things.

    t in 1772, making it one of t, as ,  ation, and  it riger t t eleven montune repairing it. ter from ticle on it a fe  restorations  least ty ory, and t  of the day.

    t on t to Brices Creek, and  lined ty, c or termites, replacing posts , especially on t side, and as  tools ae to call and o t tea, t ter igue.

    Afterea, and gone to t,  time.

    retc to ted tine.  good and clean nole sore tomorro   of o do.

    Noaar, remembering rummed once, adjusted tension on trings, trummed again. time it sounded about rigo play. Soft music, quiet music. tle , to sing as nigil the sky was black.

    It tle after seven led back into o rock. By , ars (in tellation Ursa Major大熊座), Gemini双子星座 and tar北极星, tumn sky.

    arted to run topped.  almost ire savings on to find a job again soon, but  ao enjoy toration   it. It  for  al money usually bored o enjoy simple t couldnt be bougime understanding people herwise.

    It rait  from her.

    Clem, o  . quot;; ted ly,  round eyes peering up aken  sill moved well enoug  nighese.

    y-one no too old, but old enougo be lonely.  dated since  met anyone erested   a distance beted to get close, somet sure ried. And sometimes in ts rigined to be alone forever.

    taying o ts and tling leaves, t ture ion tural took, and t o to be. times during ter a major engagement,  about t;Itll keep you from going crazy,quot; old . quot;Its Gods music and itll take you ;

    ea,  inside, found a book, turned on t on . After sitting do orn, and tained er. It  man, and   t aken a bullet for him once.

    ing it off just a little. t t of him:

    thy hour O Soul,

    t into the wordless,

    A,

    the lesson done,

    th emerging,

    silent, gazing, pondering t best,

    Nigars.

    o man al of people  of t  surprising.

    Like so many souto gre older.

    friend ty-year-old black man er Noa te evening togetting drunk and telling stories.

    No out of t blame er talking for a little imes they played for hours.

    o regard Gus as family. t anyone else, at least not since  year. ed to at one time, he had never married.

    But  ime ago.

    And it  love did t to a person, and t.

    Coastal clouds sloo roll across turning silver ion of ted it against tomatically, keeping a steady r evenings,  ing back to a een years ago.

    It  after graduation 1932, t of tival.

    to in full, enjoying barbecue and games of c o a girl ty,  kept on coming. quot;; s;Finleys told me a lot about you.quot;

    An ordinary beginning, somet en  been anyone but  as  triking emerald eyes, aken  breat s of  never find again. S good, t perfect, wrees.

    From t  like a tornado old

    some cayed at tival until t.

    t ter t, and t Sunday o craigo Fort totten Park,  time in a small to t ely neo augo bait a line and fisook an Forest.

    tcorms, and to  seemed as ther.

    But  toobacco barn, it z and do ton, and tumbled t feually paid off, and togetil terime and  o t told  one day o o and fix it up. t ogetalking about tist - and on a  in August, t ty.

    ter, sook a piece of  of summer coc  slept t before, t  t week alone on harkers Island.

    Noac-to t of t in sig be coming.  back to  again.

    alking to Gus about  time ioned arted to s;So ts t you been running from.quot;  , Gus said, quot;You kno, tc, slavin so ime to catc for tupid, or tryin to forget. And ryin to forget. I just didnt kno;

    about  of  totten Park, time ting on tanding by te, alouche color of emeralds.

    on t nigar, ening quietly as he music of his childhood.

    t to Gastons Drug Store, or to ter, or even own. Everyw brougo life.

    It een years   Ne summer, togets, pieces here of growing up, and few, if any, evoked any feeling.

    old Gus about it one nig only ood, but  to explain o tell me t t time you fall in love, it cter ry, tellin me about  love. And no matter ;

    Noao fade, urned to man. o see raccoons and possums scurrying near t nine-ty  upstairs to te in ions and ty minutes later, airs, sniffed , and t t of his bed.

    Earlier t evening and a  alone on ts  ly damp  t toars,  for days - and ruggled some more t in t tunity slip away.

    Lon didnt kno ted to  s  to visit some antique s.

    quot;Its just a couple of days,quot; s;and besides, I need a break from planning t; S bad about t kneell ruto do   be fair of o ask o understand.

    It le before eleven. So a small inn doo to case,  and putting everythe drawers.

    Sress for directions to t antique stores, t t few y she was back in her room.

    S on t speak long, , but before taying and promised to call t ion, not of to make him suspicious.

    S four years no  , and seering at tal doo it  ted. t ered bodies. roduced  a Cmas party, sly ure and a sense of  drove all her fears away.

    elligent, and driven, a successful la also making a name for ood  of success, for  of t in  e (social position, class) system of ts en t important consideration in marriage. In some cases, tion.

    tly rebelled against ted a fe described as reckless, so Lons easy o leman, boture and responsible, and during terrible periods of to urned  secure  was wed his proposal.

    ty about being  once before, long ago, and if s noo return book (purse, , ated, and almost made it to t coincidence  tbook do if s no.

    S to tarted a bater cemperature, so taking off , and pulled out a razor and a bar of soap, t of tiful since s ioned, breasts softly rounded, stomac, legs slim. Sed   feature o say. taking t to turned off t, set a toepped in gingerly.

    Ser. tense, but so go back to Raleigangible, and t e to find tores in t area, ted so. Lon  type to co s about s and  ther.

    ed  it noter w reason she gave.

    Sub before finally getting out and toweling off.

    S to t and looked for a dress, finally c dipped slig, t h.

    S on and looked in turning from side to side. It fit  sually decided against it and put it back on the hanger.

    Instead s t on. Ligouc buttoned up t, and t didnt look quite as nice as t one, it conveyed an image s e.

    Stle makeup, just a touco accent her eyes.

    Perfume next, not too muc tan, lo oo muc, and s it back doter.

    epped back and evaluated  too dressy, not too casual. S  to overdo it. After all, s knoo expect. It ime - probably too long - and many different t  to consider.

    So  range; s normally t, even as a c it  times, especially  imidated most of the boys her age.

    Sbook and car keys, turned it over in imes, t give up no left t instead sat on tch.

    Almost six oclock. So leave in a fees - s  to arrive after dark, but stle more time.

    quot;Damn,quot; s;; but once s s  true. thing here.

    If nothing else, she would have her answer.

    Sbook and t until so a folded-up piece of neer taking it out slo reverently, being careful not to rip it, s and stared at it for a ; so ;t its all about.quot;

    Noa up at five and kayaked (lig single-person canoe  dowo cups of coffee.

    of ts t needed it. It e autumn or early er (in Nortemperature over eigime  and tired and glad for the break.

    e at ts cimes and glide to ter) somey) er. For some reason  t tinct  cens of thousands, of years.

    Sometimes incts  time and al t. At least in t primal o dominate, trying to control t. t.

    tle after to a small s sat near  in, found s  on  to ted  his line.

    Fis on  noer  uttered badly as a ceased for it. o speak less and less, and by t speak at all. arted classes, eac arded and recommended t  of school.

    Instead, ook matters into  ero ack ;Its good t ime toget; ;just like my daddy and I did.quot;

    During time togetalk about birds and animals or tell stories and legends common to Nort eaco read ry. quot;Learn to read to say anyt to.quot;  again, and by t utter. But inued to go to tman and tennyson aloud as ry ever since.

    a little older,  most of ions alone. an Forest in  canoe, folloy miles until o t.

    Camping and exploring became  , sitting beneatrees, ly, and playing ar for beavers and geese and  isolation in nature, far from people and tified s.

    Alt, years of ing at ts, and ic success led to popularity. ball games and track meets, and t of eammates spent time toget; most simply figured  faster t none had ever made an impression on him.

    Except for one. And ser graduation. Allie. his Allie.

    alking to Fin about Allie after t tival t first nigions: first, t t it  .

    t tug at  tugging eventually stopped, and after reeling ,  again.

    Fin ended up being rigs. Most of to make excuses to s o see eac  t t like

    class, too poor, and ter became serious ;I dont care s t; s;ell find a o be toget;

    But in t. By early September tobacco ed and s to return o inston-Salem. quot;Only t us,quot; . quot;ell never be over.quot; But t fully understand, tters e  unanswered.

    Eventually o leave Neo   also because t impossible.  first to Norfolk and  a so Nehere.

    ually found a job in a scrap yard, separating scrap metal from everytent on collecting as mucal as  a o start in Europe and t America  t o have a job.

    ougo type of labor, and  only did it  it  o do. ;Give a days ealing. t attitude pleased ;Its a s Je;You’re suc; It  compliment Goldman could give.

    inued to t Allie, especially at nige  never received a reply. Eventually e a final letter and forced o accept t t t heyd ever share.

    Still, tayed er t letter,  to inston-Salem in t to  ser talking to some neig recognize t s t Allies fat t no fored. t trip  and last time he ever looked for her.

    For t eig first  as ted. By 1940 ered tire operation, brokering taff of ty. t scrap metal dealer on t Coast.

    During t time, ed a fe ed for togeto feel t  Allie.

    But neit  o touco linger, to ire day in bed,  fully satisfied bothem.

    S be togetoionsold ;I  I dont kno is. t of you t you keep closed off from everyone, including me. Its as if Im not t;

    ried to deny it, but s believe ;Im a  me sometimes, I knos like you keep ing for o pop out of to take you a;

    A monter sed  old  someone else. ood.

    ted as friends, and tcard from  heard from her since.

    mas.

    time fisalking, and once in a rip to t to go camping on ter Banks near Ocracoke.

    In December 1941, y-six, t as Goldman ed.

    Noao ent to enlist, turned to Neo say good-bye to er  camp. ter from Goldman togetificate entitling o a small percentage of t ever sold. quot;I couldnt   you,quot; tter said. quot;Youre t young man w Jewis;

    ttons tramping ts in Norts in Europe y pounds on ry unit never far from action. ccching over him.

    er in Japan. Just before ter from a laing Morris Goldman. Upon meeting t t Goldman ate liquidated. t seventy ted about it.

    turned to Neing out tended to make. her seemed weak as he walked around, coughing and wheezing.

    Noa old  to worry, assuring  he flu.

    Less ter  to ery. Noaried to stop by regularly to leave some floe. And every nig fail ook a moment to remember aug mattered.

    After reeling in t t back to to ts in appreciation for w hed done.

    ired so raise ter

    through.

    Once s,  in tered Dodge truck and  to see Gus. opped to tore because Guss family didnt have a car.

    One of ters  Capers General Store.   unpack t aead  to sit on the porch.

    Sill rouble believing it, even as s  s o tco get a cup of coffee, and o table, ed at a small picture.

    quot;Remember t;

    er an uninterested first glance, someture caugook a closer look. quot;It cant be,quot; s  doicle  speaking. So table and sitting opposite  aside taring at  moments before.

    quot;Are you okay?quot; ;You look a little pale.quot; S ans  siced   started.

    quot;And  ; s it back, remembering t s s er t day  out ticle. S again before s to bed t nigrying to fat again t morning as if to make sure t a dream. And noer ter traction, it he reason shed come.

    ic beo stress. It  excuse; everyone understood, including Lon, and ts o get aressful to everyone involved.

    Almost five ed, including tor, and to Peru. It oo muc t  like running ao get married  t s agree; like tician er of attention.

    Sook a deep breatood again. quot;Its no; s to tly before opening it and going doairs. t and  to   time, tarted turned rigo Front Street.

    S surprised t sill kne been   large and sed treets easily.

    After crossing trent River on an old-fas doo permit or urned onto a gravel road and began the final leg of her journey.

    It iful ry, as it al it y, fertile soil t ton and tobacco. timber kept to of tate, and as sside to  attracted people to this region.

    to   c all. Broken sunliger oaks and rees a  tall, illuminating t, a river tourned as life to a different, larger river anotself s ebellum (pre-Civil ar (in t for some of t cs ancy of t back a flood of memories, and s igten.

    t above trees on , and as s still standing. S t summer, looking for souvenirs from tates, and as  day became stronger, as if t erday.

    A majestic oak tree on to vie, and tense. It looked t retcally along tting beneatree on a  July day   took everyt  t moment t s fallen in love.

    ime, o focus once again.  of someone slig like a farmer coming er  came to t faint lines o form around t seemed to read .

    all and strong,  bro o ree  t  and fluent, almost musical in quality. It  belonged on radio, and it seemed to o ening closely, and letting touc coaxes me to the dusk.

    I depart as air, I se locks at the runaway sun...

    imes.

    op, and talk. Sell  sed in ure - and en intently and to make it all come true. And t made  to alk about icular poem and , and at otimes  studied  intense way of his.

    tce togetars. It ting late by ts  t moment, t really didnt matter to  ed toer, ook  t warmed he whole way back.

    Anoturn in t in tance. tically from o tree-lined dirt drive t led to t had summoned her from Raleigh.

    Soook a deep breatcance, ,  seemed to vaniso the scenery.

    inued foropped beneatree t s of turned taking tered to a .

    epped off to approacopped cold as sime all tare at eac moving.

    Allison Nelson, ty-nine years old and engaged, a socialite, searco knoed by t t o dominate his life.