Cristina tapped her foot and smoked Pall Mall after Pall Mall, sitting there in the lobby of the Versailles. At 47th and Pine Streets. Would anyone notice her? It certainly was off the beaten track – for Agnes and Angelo. Must also be for Norman, she thought, since he was twenty minutes late.
Norman was never late. He was always punctual as Pete, even in the months following Pearl Harbor. No one could ever fault Norman for laziness or carelessness. You could always depend on him, good or bad. But today, after he called her that morning to ask if they’d meet in the lobby of the Versailles where they’d met just twice before, three years earlier, today he missed their appointed hour by twenty minutes. No, she thought while checking her watch, twenty-five minutes late now.
The hotel’s door opened and the eastern sun behind it shone into the lobby. Though the figure at the door stood in shadow, she recognized Norman’s shape – compact height, narrow waist, broad shoulders, close-cropped hair, sharp and wide jawline. How handsome even now, more than ten years since they’d met, more than eight years since she’d married Angelo and he’d married Agnes.
“I apologize for being late, Cristina. It was unforgivable of me.”
“What kept you, Norman? I’ve been a nervous wreck since you called this morning. What can ever be the situation?”
Something in his face told her it was not good news. She put aside her own worries and penetrated his glance. His face told her, I’ve come to say goodbye. Forever.
“I’m joining the U.S. navy and will be shipped to England in a few months. Let’s get a table in the restaurant and talk about it.”
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