Allie  morning, forced by t carlings, and rubbed iffness in  slept er every dream, and s positions during t, as if verifying time.

    S in t s  t togeter and conversation came back to alked about ing.

    It ed, yet uplifting, and as to replay in  to see him again.

    S tctering birds searc. Noaed daco sneak out o do it because s  allo, but s been caugo unfold. quot;Look t; c sunrise ter t  moment.

    And as s out of bed to take , ser tchinking somehow he probably had.

    S.

    Noa nig, clean flannel s, blue jacket, and boots. eetairs, drank a quick glass of milk, and grabbed ts on t ter Clem greeted o tored. o let ts magic, loosening up his muscles, warming his body, clearing his mind.

    tained, y taco  above terline to keep off ted it free from t it at , inspected it quickly, took it to tered by ,  in ter s ream  and engine.

    t crisp, and t colors: black directly above ain peak, te range, becoming ligil it met took its place. ook a ferees and brackiser, and began to reflect. t of tle time to spend on ter. Camping, ing, o go. For t part o explore Neryside on foot ime, but in fourteen years  canoed or kayaked once. It  turned.

    t mystical, about spending daer,  to  almost every day now.

    Sunny and clear or cold and bitter, it never mattered as o music in er turtles resting on a partially submerged log and c, skimming just above ter before vaniso twilig preceded sunrise.

    to tco stretcer. opped paddling  enoug to keep aring until ligo break trees. o pause at daybreak - t erhe day.

    , questions danced in er drops in a frying pan.  Lon and ype of man  tions of all, t Allie and why she had come.

    By time  rene it aken tricks out topped questioning it months ago.

    o dry, stretces, and  to tored  to t a fe from ter, and as urned toed t ill a little stiff.

    t burned off yet, and iffness in ed rain. o tern sky and saorm clouds, t definitely present. t blo  to be outside w ime did he have? A few hours, maybe more. Maybe less.

    on nes, brus doairs to tc before, picked up a little around t to ter. Steady, but it art dropping soon. tern sky promised t.

    o never underestimate t o go out. tning  story. Especially if er. A canoe o be y sparked in humid air.

    ting off til later.  to toolser co it,  stone until it ;A dull ax is more dangerous t; o say.

    t ty minutes splitting and stacking logs.  easily, rokes efficient, and didnt break a s.  a feo ter and brougting the fireplace.

    Allies painting again and reac to touc, bringing back t seeing   about  made er all t sort of power did she have over him?

    urned ao ter again. It  c ch. Allie should be here soon.

    Allie o cemperature. It  cold outside, and s  and comfortable, maybe a little snug, but it looked good, and sed some  matched.

    S toaken its toll  sy beginning to er, t active ter in try, looked a little more run-do ill operating  movies. Fort totten Park looked exactly t een years ago, and ser sc to  o be.

    No seemed, not seemed so improbable, everyto place as it  sicle in t  very difficult to imagine, because ines seldom c  try club, to te scal. After t, a visit o get ready for dinner  a point to leave   a week she saw him regularly.

    S t,  one day en promised to and usually folloing back to t;I cant tonig; ;Im sorry, but I cant. Let me make it up to you later.quot;

    S like to argue  it, mostly because selling trutrial  s imes ing   to spend time h her now.

    S gallery, almost  in ion, turned and  back. S t   least t?

    S inside - it  of t Street - and broings. Many of tists rong sea flavor to ts of ocean scenes, sandy beacugboats, piers, and seagulls. But most of all, s .

    On one ings t more suited astes. All ist s appeared to ecture of ting s, sed tist ed t completely focused. Yet t directing  s. It ic. t about it, t, and s before s s because it reminded  more closely and t to  maybe Noa. Maybe sart painting again.

    At nine-ty Allie left t to ment store doo took a fees to find  ion. Paper, dra good enoug  painting, but it art, and sed by time s back to  at tarted  getting t again, letting ser a fees of abstraction, screet scene as seen from   came. It  as if sopped.

    S o try next and finally decided. Since s  in arting. And t  scene, it came naturally and began to take form.

    Minutes passed quickly. Seadily but cime frequently so s be late, and s a little before noon. It aken almost t surprised  looked as t aken a great deal longer. After rolling it up, s it in a bag and collected t of  t  exactly sure why.

    Doairs again and out t she heard a voice behind her.

    quot;Miss?quot;

    Surned, kno ed at erday, a curious look on his face.

    quot;Yes?quot;

    quot;You  nig;

    S;I did?quot;

    quot;Yes. All from a Mr. ;

    O;Lon called?quot;

    quot;Yes, maam, four times. I talked to ime.  you. ;

    Srying to  simes? Four?  could t mean?  if something had happened back home?

    quot;Did  an emergency?quot;

    ; say, miss, but  mention anytually,  you, t;

    Good, s. ts good. And t as suddenly, a pang in .

    erday? ent? It ely unlike ? No... t  to folloo Noa.

    So call o get around it. But s  to, strangely. time, and sed to spend it doing o il later, and for some reason s almost as if talking to  e? A late dinner and then a walk? Maybe. Or a movie? Or...

    quot;Miss?quot;

    Almost noon, s. , sely felt as if shed been released from shackles.

    talk to ed to. S feel t it didnt bot cing no;Is it really almost t;

    ter looking at t;Yes, a quarter till, actually.quot;

    quot;Unfortunately,quot; sarted, quot; rig reacell  Ill try to call er?quot;

    quot;Of course,quot; ion in  ?

    ly e for a single own, she was sure.

    quot;t; s;Id appreciate it.quot;

    tes later so Noaicipating t terday s t meant.

    As ses after s thouse.

    Noating in  tea, listening for t turn up t around front and cree again. Same spot as yesterday. Clem barked a greeting at ail wagging, and he car.

    Sepped out, patted Clem on t urned, smiling at Noao, and again  a slig seeing   from yesterday, t simply memories anymore. If anyttraction for ronger overnigense, and it made tle nervous in her presence.

    Allie met ly on t  after she pulled back.

    quot;; s;w;

    tle, t. quot;Not even a Good afternoon or ?quot;

    Sience rongest attributes. quot;Fine. Good afternoon. ? And w;

    ly, t;Allie, Ive got some bad ne;

    quot;?quot;

    quot;I o take you someplace, but  sure we s;

    quot;;

    quot;torm. ell be outside and mig . Besides, t be lig;

    quot;Its not raining yet. ?quot;

    quot;Up t a mile.quot;

    quot;And Ive never been t;

    quot;Not ;

    S for a second wermined.

    quot;t care if it rains.quot;

    quot;Are you sure?quot;

    quot;Absolutely.quot;

    ting t;tter go no; ;Can I bring t in for you?quot;

    So o t it inside,  in a bag, bringing it  the house.

    to ttle closer terday.

    quot; exactly is t;

    quot;Youll see.quot;

    quot;Youre not even going to give me a ?quot;

    quot;ell,quot; ;do you remember  and c;

    quot;I t about it t made me cry.quot;

    quot; youre going to see today makes ;

    quot;I guess I s;

    ook a feeps before responding.

    quot;You are special,quot;  made ed to add somet , and Allie smiled a little before glancing aiced it  later. After tossing to make sure  missed anyto ter.

    quot;Can I do anyt;

    quot;No, just get in.quot;

    After so ter, close to the dock.

    tepped off to t carefully to prevent ty, kno w  looked.

    Allie sat at t of t missing tarted to paddle, but s rue.

    Sed to see if surned  most of all sed to c  t toned at top, and s muscles flex roke. oo, and sly. here from paddling every morning.

    Artistic, s. t artistic about his.

    Sometural, as if being on ter  of a gene passed on to ary pool. c  discovered this area.

    S tely resembled ed, almost contradictory in so many  simple, a strangely erotic combination. On try boy, erms. Yet to  ry t made , or per illed in o savor life more fully to, and t tracted o him.

    quot; are you t;

    S  a bit as Noa o t. S said mucarted, and sed te like t.

    quot;Good t; sly, and s   t , and s her as well.

    Sood t sometirring  cc. And as t t in s, and surning away before iced.

    quot;; she asked.

    quot;Anot any more t.quot;

    A pause. t;Its pretty out . Its almost like going back in time.quot;

    quot;In a  is, I t. t a single farm betarts, and ter is pure as rain. Its probably as pure as its ever been.quot;

    Soell me, Noa do you remember most from t toget;

    quot;All of it.quot;

    quot;Anyticular?quot;

    quot;No,quot; he said.

    quot;You dont remember?quot;

    er a moment, quietly, seriously. quot;No, its not t. Its not . I can remember every moment oget really pick any one time t meant more tire summer , t over another?

    quot;Poets often describe love as an emotion t  control, one t over  plan on falling in love  if you planned on falling in love  once , it  neitrol e our differences, and once iful ed. For me, love like t s  toget a single moment of it.quot;

    Allie stared at  to  knoo say and stayed silent, .

    quot;Im sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, Allie. I didnt mean to. But t summer ayed  cant be t t doesnt c about you t;

    Sly, feeling ;It didnt make me uncomfortable, Noas just t I dont ever .  you said iful. It takes a poet to talk t Ive ever met.quot;

    Peaceful silence descended on tance. A mullet splas rocked t ever so sligopped, and toination.

    Allie noticed it all, every sound, every t. ing  ing t fe ty coming  seeing ticle, ts,  temper during dayligerday sed to run aension  of it, replaced by somet t as she old red canoe.

    S strangely satisfied t s Noaurned into type of man s  s kno feroyed by ime, or even money. It took strengto o inner passion, and Noa.

    t a poets, and people anding Noaood t toing t brougy to the world.

    ook time off to fix a man or Eliot, finding images in ts of t? Or ed da t drove society, but s t be treated as unimportant. to  , t only upon coming here.

    Or rat. S once before, and again sting sometant as creating beauty. Painting o do, s no anot. A fair s, no matter w anyone said.

    ould Lon encourage ing? Sings a couple of monter t started going out. It ract painting and  to inspire t. In a  resembled ting above Noaood completely, t may ouce. Lon ared at it, studied it almost, and t it o be. S boto answer.

    S being completely fair. S Noa in knoure y. It ed to live, ted to live. And t describe te relations t necessary to be fulfilled in a relationsended to marry. Passion ime, and tibility ake its place. Shis was all she needed.

    But noion. y in everyt   an engaged  to stare and glanced aen, but t o keep her eyes from him for long.

    quot;; Noaorees near the bank.

    Allie looked around, not seeing anyt;?quot;

    quot;; ing t an old tree t  completely hidden from view.

    ree, and boto loo keep from bumping them.

    quot;Close your eyes,quot; o er and felt t of t forhe creek.

    quot;Okay,quot; er opped paddling. quot;You can open t;