“Sure,” he said, “you go ahead. I’ve got out of the lodge now and you can have it. Yes, you go ahead. I’ll fix everything for you, an’ you stay there as long as you like.”
I told him what a regular fellow he was, but he just laughed it away. “Forget it,” he said. “You have your honeymoon and enjoy yourselves. I’m glad you’ve got a girl; it’s what you’ve been wanting.”
We did a bit more back-slapping and then I put the receiver on the prong. I looked over at Mardi. She didn’t have to be told, she saw it all right. “I said so, didn’t I?”
She spread her hands helplessly. “Oh, I want it to be true,” she said, “I want it to be true.”
“You stay there until I get dressed. Then I’ll go out and make it true,” I told her. “We’ll get this wedding fixed and then we’ll go out to the lodge.”
She sat up in bed. “I don’t want you to leave me,” she said quickly, her eyes looking scared. “Not now I know. Don’t leave me, Nick.”
I patted her arm. “Look, I’ll fix it with Ackie. Then we can both stay right here and let him do it all.”
She said, “Yes, do it that way,” and her eyes lost the scared look.
I went over to the telephone and got hold of Ackie. I thought it would give him a shock. It did.
He said, “Hold everythin’. I’ve gotta see this jane first. Now for Gawd’s sake hold everythin’ until I get right over.”