everything.
Smiling, she pushed the toast toward him. “ You wouldn ’ t allow the doctor to tell you how to run White Water, dear. I would imagine that your qualifications in medicine are as limited as his in nuclear energy. So perhaps it would be best if we did this his way. ” Shifting the conversation, she asked, “ What were your visitors like yesterday? ”
“ Who? The senators? They were all right, I suppose. One, the older fellow, a short, snoopy little guy, was kind of irritating. He came on fast—interrupting to ask something, then switching off to another interest of his—without waiting for the rest of the group. For a while I thought that he was being too curious, like he had some ulterior purpose for being there. But then I decided it was my imagination. The other one was a nice guy. ”
“ Did you find out why they were there? ” she asked.
“ Visiting—or at least that ’ s what I was told. You know how politicians are, always trying to get a finger in the pot. ” He was reluctant to tell her about the flare up over the shutdown report, and about his earlier suspicion that the senators were inspecting the facility as a result of a request from the Southern California Society of Environmentalists.
“ They must have been there quite a long while, ” she said.
Ben knew that she had obliquely referred to his arriving home at a very late hour. “ Actually, they weren ’ t. I had anticipated them spending much longer in the plant, but Senator McCauley seemed anxious to be on the way. ”
She was silent, apparently waiting for him to explain his delay more fully.
“ After the politicians left, Pettengill decided we should have one of his infamous meet and confer sessions. On the spur of the moment he decided on it. When I phoned you I had no idea of being as late as I was. ”
Raising her eyes to his, she replied, “ It must have been a very important meeting. ”
He had no wish to assuage her curiosity by explaining that the S.C.S.E. letter had filtered down to Pettengill, and the long hours spent in conference were in regard to that. “ Routine business, just routine, ” he said off-handedly. “ What are your plans for the day? ” he asked. “ A meeting of your sorority alumni club, isn ’ t it? ”
“ No, I ’ m not going to those gatherings anymore. Didn ’ t I tell you about the last one I attended? ” she asked.
He shook his head, “ I don ’ t recall. But you didn ’ t say you weren ’ t going back. ”
“ Well, no matter. I ’ m not. It ’ s the same thing all the time. Vacationing. ’’
“ Videos? ”
“ Yes, camcorder home made videos. Sue Anna ’ s vacation to Hawaii, and Joan ’ s last trip to Europe, and Debbie ’ s three children in their pool—and those because they haven ’ t been able to afford to go anywhere since they built it. It ’ s just all so inane. ”
“ You ’ re bored with them. ”
“ Yes, I suppose. But what I really would like is to find them on some subjects that are meaningful, instead of discussing the color of tea napkins. Just once. ”
“ Whatever you think, Hon. I ’ m sure you have every right to be bored with that group. ” Having other things on his mind, he glanced at the clock above the sink. “ I ’ ve got to go. Must get a backlog of paperwork done before this day ends. ”
“ So soon? ” she asked wistfully.
“ Maybe I ’ ll manage to be home early this evening. How about it? ”
“ I ’ d like that, ” she answered softly.
For the briefest second they-stood close with their arms around each other. His very tall, lank frame dwarfed her as he held her to him. Her wan, porcelain skin was in marked contrast to his dark complexion. Releasing her, he turned and walked out the door.
It was a beautiful morning. Later, there would be smog creeping in to blanket the sky; but as yet, it was a day free of the troublesome, tainted air. Out to the right the ocean was clearly visible, a sailboat