Rapture

CHAPTER SIX

Foxrock wasn't much more than a village, off route 7 north of Danbury. Jeff got there just before eight o'clock the next morning. It was a rural community, and the houses were widely scattered along country roads rather than closely packed on neat residential streets. It took him nearly another half hour of driving around before he found Indian Hill Road.

When he spotted the Corcoran mailbox, he took care not to slow down, and glanced only briefly at the house. As soon as it was convenient, he turned the car around and drove back. The second time he passed the house he noted the two cars in the driveway, one a blue compact, the other a deep-red or maroon wagon. The usual suburban scene.

Back at the T -junction, he turned left, away from the center of Foxrock and stopped just before the first bend in the road, about a hundred yards along, where he pulled onto a grassy verge. He turned the car off, adjusted the rear-view mirror, and propped a road map conspicuously on the steering wheel. Next, he took the lid off a cup of coffee he'd picked up at a fast-food place on the way. Still hot. He waited.

The wagon appeared fifteen minutes later and turned in the other direction. Two people in it. Precisely what Jeff had expected. Sean and Bonnie going to school. Hadn't Mrs. Brewer said Sean was a teacher?

Now, Georgianne. He had no intention of barging in on her this early in the morning, having visions of her in some drab housecoat, her hair mussed, surrounded by breakfast dishes. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. She needed time, and he was prepared to wait.

So he was startled when he saw the blue compact stop at the junction only a few minutes later. It headed toward town. Pushing the map aside, he started the car, anh turned it sharply around. He put his sunglasses on and hung back as far as he could; all he wanted was to keep her in sight. No passengersit looked good. The thought came to him that there might well be more than one blue compact on Indian Hill Road, but when he had to come up close behind her at the red light in the center of Foxrock, he was sure it really was Georgianne. The blond hair ... He cupped his hands in front of his face, lighting a cigarette with difficulty. He was trembling.

He followed her all the way into Danbury, where she left her car in a municipal lot. Jeff parked there as well, though some distance away. Then he trailed her for two short blocks. She went into a place called the Reinecke Fitness Center. Jeff continued walking slowly along the other side of the street, trying to figure out what to do. If Georgianne was a customer, she would most likely be out in an hour or ninety minutes. But if she worked there, she might not reappear until lunchtime, or even the end of the afternoon.

He bought a newspaper, found a convenient diner, and sat at the counter, by the front, where he could keep an eye on the entrance to the Fitness Center. He ordered coffee, orange juice, and a Danish. Later he had to ask for another coffee, but he hardly ever looked at the newspaper.

What was she wearing? He had been trying to remember, but he didn't have a clear picture in his mind yet. He had been so concerned about keeping her in sight without getting too close that he hadn't been able to focus on details. A light summer skirt and blouse, appropriate for the May heat wave? It was maddening. For twenty years, whenever Jeff had thought of Georgianne, she had always come to mind in sharp, vivid images, so real he would sometimes think he could actually speak to her or touch her. But now, when he had finally seen her in the flesh, she was so elusive he didn't even know what she was wearing.

Eventually he cgµldn't sit still any longer. He had to do something, move. So he walked back to the parking lot, got in his car, turned to the sports pages, and tried to concentrate on an article about the Lakers.

A little after eleven, he looked up and saw Georgianne at her car. She tossed something-a gym bag?--onto the front seat and locked the vehicle again. He was out and following her as she walked away in the opposite direction from the Fitness Center. She went into an art-supply shop.

This is it, he told himself as he gazed absently at another store's window display. Putting his sunglasses in his jacket pocket he patted his hair. He was ready now to talk to her, and he was so excited his whole body felt charged. And yet he was very calm. After all the uncertainty, he knew he was not making a mistake.

Then Georgianne was back on the sidewalk, coming in his direction. Jeff turned to face her.

"Georgianne," he said clearly when she was less than ten feet from him.

She stopped and stared. The blank look on her face changed to one of amazement. The shock of recognition, Jeff thought happily. But she hadn't put it together enough to say anything yet.

"You look beautiful," he told her, smiling broadly and stepping closer.

"Jeff? Jeff Lisker? My God, it's you!"

They threw their arms around each other, hugging and kissing. Then they stepped back a pace and looked each other over once more, as if to make sure they weren't having a hallucination. And they hugged again.

"Oh, Jeff, how are you?"

"I'm just fine. And you?"

"Fine. Stunned."

Jeff smiled. "You look great," he said, gazing at her with deep affection.

"So do you." Now Georgianne laughed. "I still don't believe this. That I'm standing here talking to you."

"Well, you are," he said. "It's great to see you again. It's been so long. Too long."

Georgianne was truly beautiful, somehow much more so than he had either remembered or expected.

"I thought you were living out in California."

"That's right. I've been there ever since college."

"And you're back now for a visit."

"Several things," Jeff said vaguely. "But before we get into that, where are you going right now?"

"I was just on my way home. I live about ten miles from here, in Foxrock."

"Well, no," Jeff told her. "You're on your way to lunch with me, instead."

"Great. I'd love that."

"Okay. Let's see. The restaurants probably don't open until noon. How about a Bloody Mary first?"

"Sure," Georgianne said. "Do you know Danbury?"

"Not a bit."

"There's a fairly decent cocktail lounge just around the corner. I don't know how the kitchen is, but they serve lunches and dinners, too."

"Let's give it a try."

Jeff couldn't take his eyes off her as they walked. Georgianne had more than doubled her age but she seemed to be immune to time. Her face was still unlined. Her hair, shorter now, was thick and lustrous, the blond having mellowed into a rich honey color that glowed in the sunlight. She was radiant, her skin not rosy but almost golden. Jeff had found what he'd come looking for-the girl in the very long dream.

"How long has it been?" Georgianne asked. "Not since we-"

"More than half our lifetimes ago," Jeff said, and he was immediately annoyed with himself for sounding so pompous. "Twenty years, to be exact."

"Twenty years. Is there a reunion?"

"Other than this one? Not that I've heard of."

They entered a tidy, middle-class bar. The furniture was dark-stained wood and there were prints of country scenes on the walls. It was unpretentious and, at this time of day, empty. They sat at a banquette and a waitress appeared to take their orders.

"Well, to us," Jeff said, raising his glass, when she had returned with the drinks.

"Why not," Georgianne said, smiling warmly. "To us." She touched his glass with hers.

Jeff already knew he wanted to spend the entire day with this woman. She was glad to see him, to be with him. Nothing awkward or embarrassing about it. He was sure now he hadn't made a mistake in seeking her out.

Georgianne's eyes, which Jeff thought he remembered as being green, now seemed to be silvery gray. But there was no denying the sparkle in them, the fire of life. He tried not to stare at her too much, but he was still on the high of simply seeing her and being in her presence. She met his gaze with no hint of self-consciousness.

"Tell me," she said, "what are you doing here in Danbury? How did this happy accident come about?"

"It's not entirely an accident," Jeff replied. "I had to come home for my father's funeral."

"Oh, Jeff. I'm sorry."

"I would have been coming back anyhow," he continued. "I have some business with Union Carbide in Danbury, and the two things just happened to coincide, more or less."

"I see."

"Anyhow, I was on the New Haven Road the other day and I saw the For Sale sign outside your house. Somebody told me you were living in this area, so I thought I'd see if I could find you while I was here. And then, this morning, almost as soon as I get here, who do I see walking toward me on the sidewalk?"

"It's amazing, it really is." Georgianne shook her head slightly, smiling. "And what are you doingyour work?'

"Computers," Jeff explained. "I have my own company, just outside Los Angeles. We design special systems for-well, for whoever needs them."

"That's fantastic. And you're doing a job now for Union Carbide?"

"Not yet. We're still in the talking stage and it may or may not come off. It's a very complicated deal."

"How exciting!" Georgianne said, evidently impressed. "But we always knew you'd do well at something like that."

"Yeah, but it's just work," Jeff said, "and it seems that's all I do. I can't tell you what a treat it is to see you. This is the first time I've been away from the office in years, and if it weren't for you, the whole trip would have been nothing but the funeral and business."

"I'm glad to see you, too." Georgianne squeezed Jeff's arm lightly.

"Tell me about yourself."

"Oh, it's pretty boring," Georgianne said. "When I was in my second year of college I fell in love with a great guy. We got married right away, I quit school, and we've been together ever since."

"Terrific," Jeff said quietly.

"We have a daughter," Georgianne went on. "She's about to graduate from high school, if you can believe that. Sean-my husband-teaches in the middle school here in Danbury. We built our own house, piece by piece, and it took two long years. And ... what else can I tell you? Sean's a jogger; I go swimming every morning. Oh, and I do some pen-and-ink sketches-not very good, but it's better than just watching the soaps. It's all pretty quiet and normal, I guess."

"Not at all," Jeff said. "It sounds great. The main thing is you like it and you're happy."

"Right. I do and I am."

"That's all that matters then. Tell me about your husband and daughter. Just the one child?"

"Yes." The note of regret was clear in her voice. "Bonnie came early and lightning never struck again."

"You would have liked more."

"Sure, but we were lucky to have Bonnie at least. She's a great kid. Did I tell you she's graduating a year early? She's only seventeen. We're very proud of her. And Sean-he was a junior stockbroker when I met him, but he hated it and gave it up after a year."

"Good for him," Jeff said. "A lot of people don't have the nerve to make that kind of move."

"You must be married, Jeff."

"Ah. I'm the one who's normal there," he said with a smile. 'I was married, but it didn't last long. You could say it was a California romance. I was working sixteen-hour days, trying to get the company off the ground. She ran off and I let her go. Eventually we got around to the formality of a divorce.'

"That's a shame," Georgianne said.

it was all wrong from the beginning,' Jeff added. "If I had been honest about it, I wouldn't have married her in the first place. I knew I'd be working all hours as far ahead as I could see, and that's no basis for a marriage. You've been very lucky."

'1 know. Sometimes I look at my daughter and think, It's a miracle, nothing less than a miracle, that she's the person she is. That she hasn't been messed up or damaged in some way. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems it was easier when we were growing up."

"I know what you mean," Jeff said politely. He had his own thoughts about the past, and they had nothing to do with that kind of middle-class paranoia.

They had a second round of drinks and then ordered lunch. Jeff didn't want to move. They talked about old friends and acquaintances, where they were now and what they were doing, and Georgianne told him about her everyday life in greater detail-things that ordinarily wouldn't have interested him at all, but that now, in her presence, he found strangely fascinating. He could listen to her talk all day, and all night, too, probably. Just so long as he was with her.

After the meal, Jeff ordered a cognac and persuaded Georgianne to have something else. She settled on Irish coffee.

"I never drink this much," she said, "and it's beginning to catch up with me."

"That's all right. It's a special day."

"It certainly is," she agreed merrily. "Where are you staying, Jeff? The Hilton?"

This threw him momentarily. The Mortlake Motel made little sense for someone supposedly in town to do business with Union Carbide. He was annoyed that he hadn't anticipated the question.

"Uh ... no. I just drove down here this morning and I was planning to go back to the house in Millville tonight."

"It's not that far," Georgianne said. "How long will your work keep you here?"

He shrugged. "It's a day-to-day thing, but I expect to be back in California by Monday."

"Oh, well, you must come to dinner. I'd love to have you meet my husband and daughter."

"I'd like that very much," he said. "But first I'd like to take you out. How about dinner tonight, all of us?"

Jeff had worked this out beforehand. In his mind it was important that he take the Corcorans out first. Dinner at their house-he had expected the invitation, of course-had to come later.

"That would be wonderful," Georgianne said. "But you don't have to do that, Jeff."

"I want to. Really."

"Well, Bonnie can't make it. She has a party tonight. But Sean and I could come."

"The three of us, then. You pick the place, and make it the best. My treat."

"All right, but then you're coming to our house for a good home-cooked meal," Georgianne insisted. "Tomorrow night?"

"You're on."

She smiled and took Jeffs hand in hers and held it for a few moments. He felt a charge from her touch surging through him. They agreed that the easiest thing would be to meet again at the same cocktail lounge, have a drink and go on to another restaurant. Jeff hated to leave Georgianne at all, even for a couple of hours, but he knew it was necessary.

From the Mortlake he phoned the Hilton and was able to get a room for that night. He checked in within the hour. Georgianne had asked if he'd like to stay with them, but he had declined. It was tempting, so very tempting, but too risky. Being with her all the time, but with her husband and daughter around too ... Jeff was not sure he could handle it. And it would require much more of an effort to keep up the Union Carbide charade. No, the offer delighted him, but he was right to turn it down.

After unpacking, he surrendered to a nap. The meal and drinks had made him drowsy, but he drifted in and out of sleep, as if his mind couldn't quite let go. He kept seeing Georgianne, her face at this angle or that, her hair catching the sun, her eyes shining in the dark interior of the cocktail lounge. Her neck and throat were so elegant, showing no signs of age. Her body looked as firm and gorgeous as ever, from the glimpses he'd had of her legs to the way her breasts filled out that snug knit top.

What was it about Georgianne, he wondered dreamily.

She had grown up into a perfectly ordinary woman, it seemed. A wife and mother, bright but not too brainy. You didn't have to compete with her to make simple conversation-no small pleasure in itself. And she appeared to be content with her life. Jeff envied her that. Few people managed it, from what he knew.

But she still had that-that air of magic, or whatever it was. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it didn't really matter. There was something special about her. You wanted to be with her. You liked to listen to that clear, true voice, regardless of what it was saying, simply because it was so clear and true. Most of all, you wanted to feel that charge she gave off, the electricity of life--everyday life, as you should be able to live it.

There was more, but Jeff hadn't figured it out yet. Something to do with the future, the past. But for now he was happy to have found her, and he felt younger and more alive than he had in years. Georgianne had matured into a beautiful, still-young woman who outdazzled the high-school image in his memory. That in itself seemed proof enough that he was on the right track.

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