the notebook-恋恋笔记本(英文版)-第7部分

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As　she　got　out　of　bed　to　take　her　bath；　feeling　the　cold　floor　beneath　her　feet；　she　wondered　if　he’d　been　on　the　water　this　morning　watching　another　day　begin；　thinking　somehow　he　probably　had。

SHE　WAS　RIGHT。　Noah　was　up　before　the　sun　and　dressed　quickly；　same　jeans　as　last　night；　undershirt；　clean　flannel　shirt；　blue　jacket　and　boots。　He　drank　a　quick　glass　of　milk　and　grabbed　two　biscuits　on　the　way　out　of　the　door。　After　Clem　greeted　him　with　a　couple　of　sloppy　licks；　he　walked　to　the　dock　where　his　kayak　was　stored。　He　liked　to　let　the　river　work　its　magic；　loosening　up　his　muscles；　warming　his　body；　clearing　his　mind。

The　old　kayak；　well　used　and　river…stained；　hung　on　two　rusty　hooks　attached　to　his　dock；　just　above　the　water　line。　He　lifted　it　free；　inspected　it　quickly；　then　took　it　to　the　hank。　In　a　couple　of　seasoned　moves；　long　since　mastered　by　habit；　he　had　it　in　the　water　and　was　working　his　way　upstream；　paddling　hard；　working　off　the　tension；　preparing　for　the　day。

Questions　danced　in　his　mind。　He　wondered　about　Lon　and　what　type　of　man　he　was；　wondered　about　their　relationship。　Most　of　all；　though；　he　wondered　about　Allie　and　why　she　had　e。

By　the　time　he　reached　Home；　he　felt　renewed。　Checking　his　watch；　he　was　surprised　to　find　that　it　had　taken　two　hours。　Time　always　played　tricks　out　there。

He　hung　the　kayak　to　dry　and　went　to　the　shed　where　he　stored　his　two…man　canoe。　He　carried　it　to　the　hank；　leaving　it　a　few　feet　from　the　water；　and　turned　towards　the　house。　In　the　western　sky　he　saw　storm　clouds；　thick　and　heavy；　far　off　but　definitely　present。　The　winds　weren’t　blowing　hard　but　they　were　bringing　the　clouds　closer。　From　the　look　of　them　he　didn’t　want　to　he　outside　when　they　got　here。　Damn。　How　much　time　did　he　have？　A　few　hours；　maybe　more。

He　showered；　put　on　new　jeans；　a　red　shirt　and　black　cowboy　boots；　brushed　his　hair　and　went　downstairs　to　the　kitchen。　He　did　the　dishes　from　the　night　before；　picked　up　a　little　around　the　house；　made　himself　some　Coffee　and　went　to　the　porch。　The　sky　was　darker　now　and　he　checked　the　barometer。　Steady；　but　it　would　start　dropping　soon。

He’d　learned　long　ago　to　never　underestimate　the　weather；　and　he　wondered　if　it　was　a　good　idea　to　go　out。　The　rain　he　could　deal　with；　lightning　was　a　different　story。　A　canoe　was　no　place　to　he　when　electricity　sparked　in　humid　air。

He　finished　his　Coffee；　putting　off　the　decision　until　later。　He　went　to　the　toolshed　and　found　his　axe。　After　checking　the　blade　by　pressing　his　thumb　to　it；　he　sharpened　it　with　a　whetstone　until　it　was　ready。

He　spent　the　next　twenty　minutes　splitting　and　stacking　logs。　He　did　it　easily；　his　strokes　efficient；　and　didn’t　break　a　sweat。　He　put　a　few　logs　off　to　the　side　for　later　and　brought　them　inside　when　he　was　finished；　stacking　them　by　the　fireplace。

He　looked　at　Allie’s　painting　and　reached　out　to　touch　it；　bringing　back　the　feelings　of　disbelief　at　seeing　her　again。　God；　what　was　it　about　her　that　made　him　feel　this　way？　Even　after　all　these　years？　What　sort　of　power　did　she　have　over　him？

He　finally　turned　away；　shaking　his　head；　and　went　back　to　the　porch。　He　checked　the　barometer　again。　It　hadn’t　changed。　Then　he　looked　at　his　watch。

Allie　should　he　here　soon。

ALLIE　SPENT　the　morning　downtown。　The　Depression　had　taken　its　toll；　but　she　could　see　signs　of　prosperity　beginning　to　work　their　way　hack。　Fort　Totten　Park　looked　exactly　the　same　as　it　had　fourteen　years　ago；　and　the　kids　who　played　on　the　swings　after　school　probably　looked　the　same　as　well。　She　smiled　at　the　memory　then；　thinking　back　to　when　things　were　simpler。　Or　at　least　had　seemed　to　be。

Now；　nothing　was　simple。　She　wondered　what　she　would　have　been　doing　now；　had　she　never　seen　the　article　in　the　paper。　It　wasn’t　very　difficult　to　imagine；　because　her　routines　seldom　changed。　It　was　Wednesday；　which　meant　bridge　at　the　country　club；　then　on　to　the　Junior　Women’s　League；　where　they　would　probably　he　arranging　another　fund…raiser　for　the　private　school　or　hospital。　After　that；　a　visit　to　her　mother；　then　Home　to　get　ready　for　dinner　with　Lon；　because　he　made　it　a　point　to　leave　work　by　seven。　It　was　the　one　night　a　week　she　saw　him　regularly。

She　suppressed　a　feeling　of　sadness　about　that；　hoping　that　one　day　he　would　change。　He　had　often　promised　to　and　usually　followed　through　for　a　few　weeks　before　drifting　back　to　the　same　schedule。　“I　can’t　tonight；　honey。”　he　would　explain；　“I’m　sorry；　but　I　can’t。　Let　me　make　it　up　to　you　later。”

She　didn’t　like　to　argue；　mostly　because　she　knew　he　was　telling　the　truth。　Trial　work　was　demanding；　both　beforehand　and　during；　yet　she　couldn’t　help　wondering　sometimes　why　he　had　spent　so　much　time　courting　her　if　he　didn’t　want　to　spend　time　with　her　now。

She　passed　an　art　gallery　on　Front　Street；　almost　walked　by　it　in　her　preoccupation；　then　turned　and　went　back。　She　paused　at　the　door　for　a　second；　surprised　at　how　long　it　had　been　since　she’d　been　in　one。　At　least　three　years；　maybe　longer。

She　went　inside　and　browsed　among　the　paintings。　Many　of　the　artists　were　local；　and　there　was　a　strong　sea　flavour　to　their　works。

On　one　wall；　though；　there　were　a　few　paintings　more　suited　to　her　tastes；　by　an　artist　she’d　never　heard　of。　Most　appeared　to　have　been　inspired　by　the　architecture　of　the　Greek　islands。　In　the　painting　she　liked　the　best；　she　noted　the　artist　had　purposely　exaggerated　the　scene　with　smaller…than…life　figures；　wide　lines　and　heavy　sweeps　of　vivid；　swirling　colour；　drawing　the　eye；　almost　directing　what　it　should　see　next。　It　was　dynamic；　dramatic。　She　considered　buying　it　before　she　realized　that　she　liked　it　because　it　reminded　her　of　her　own　work。　She　examined　it　more　closely　and　thought　to　herself　that　maybe　Noah　was　right。　Maybe　she　should　start　painting　again。

At　nine　thirty　Allie　left　the　gallery　and　went　to　Hoffman…Lane；　a　department　store。　It　took　a　few　minutes　to　find　what　she　was　looking　for。　Paper；　drawing　chalk　and　pencils；　not　high　quality　but　good　enough。　It　wasn’t　painting；　but　it　was　a　start；　and　she　was　excited　by　the　time　she　got　back　to　her　room。

She　sat　at　the　desk　and　started　working：　nothing　specific；　just　getting　the　feel　of　it　again；　letting　shapes　and　colours　flow　from　the　memory　of　her　youth。　After　a　few　minutes；　she　did　a　rough　sketch　of　the　street　scene　as　seen　from　her　room；　amazed　at　how　easily　it　came。　It　was　almost　as　if　she’d　never　stopped。

She　examined　it　when　she　was　finished；　pleased　with　the　effort。　She　wondered　what　to　try　next　and　finally　decided。　Since　she　didn’t　have　a　model；　she　visualized　it　in　her　head　before　starting。　And　though　it　was　harder　than　the　street　scene；　it　began　to　take　form。

Minutes　passed　quickly。　She　worked　steadily；　checking　the　time　frequently　so　she　wouldn’t　be　late；　and　finished　it　a　little　before　noon。　It　had　taken　almost　two　hours；　but　the　end　result　surprised　her。　It　looked　as　though　it　had　taken　a　great　deal　longer。　After　rolling　it　up；　she　put　it　in　a　bag　and　collected　the　rest　of　her　things。　On　her　way　out　of　the　door；　she　looked　at　herself　in　the　mirror；　feeling　oddly　relaxed；　not　exactly　sure　why。

Down　the　stairs　again　and　out　of　the　door。　As　she　left　she　heard　a　voice　behind　her。　“Miss？”

She　turned。　The　manager。　The　same　man　as　yesterday；　a　curious　look　on　his　face。

“Yes？”

“You　had　some　calls　last　night。”

She　was　shocked。　“I　did？”

“Yes。　All　from　a　Mr。　Hammond。”

Oh；　God。　“Lon　called？”

“Yes；　ma’am；　four　times。　He　was　concerned　about　you。　He　said　he　was　your　fiancé。”

She　smiled　weakly；　trying　to　hide　what　she　was　thinking。　Four　times？　Four？　What　could　that　mean？　What　if　something　had　happened　back　Home？　“Did　he　say　anything？　Is　it　an　emergency？”

He　shook　his　head　quickly。　“He　really　didn’t　say；　miss。　Actually；　he　sounded　more　concerned　about　you。”

Good；　she　thought。　That’s　good。　And　then；　just　as　suddenly；　a　pang　in　her　chest。　Why　so　many　calls？　Had　she　said　anything　yesterday？　Why　would　he　be　so　persistent？　It　was　pletely　unlike　him。　Was　there　any　way　he　could　have　found　out？　No；　that　was　impossible。　Unless　someone　saw　her　here　yesterday　and　called…　But　they　would　have　had　to　follow　her　out　to　Noah’s。　No　one　would　have　done　that。

She　had　to　call　him　now：　no　way　to　get　around　it。　But　she　didn’t　want　to。　This　was　her　time；　and　she　wanted　to　spend　it　doing　what　she　wanted。　She　hadn’t　planned　on　speaking　to　him　until　later；　and　she　felt　almost　as　if　talking　to　him　now　would　spoil　the　day。　Besides；　what　was　she　going　to　say？　How　could　she　explain　being　out　so　late？　A　late　dinner　and　then　a　walk？　Maybe。　Or　a　movie？　Or。

“Miss？”

Almost　noon；　she　thought。　Where　would　he　be？　His　office；　probably　。　。　。　no。　In　court；　she　suddenly　realized；　and　immediately　felt　as　if　she’d　been　released　from　shackles。　There　was　no　way　she　could　talk　to　him；　even　if　she　wanted　to。　She　was　surprised　by　her　feelings。　She　shouldn’t　feel　this　way；　she　knew；　and　yet　it　didn’t　bother　her。　She　looked　at　her　watch；　acting　now。

“Is　it　really　almost　twelve？”

The　manager　looked　at　the　clock。　“Yes；　a　quarter　to。”

“Unfortunately；”　she　started；　“he’s　in　court　right　now　and　I　can’t　reach　him。　If　he　does　call　again；　could　you　tell　him　I’m　shopping　and　that　I’ll　try　to　call　him　later？”

“Of　course；”　he　answered。　She　could　see　the　question　in　his　eyes；　though：　But　where　were　you　last　night？　He　had　known　exactly　when　she’d　e　in。　Too　late　for　a　single　woman　in　this　small　town。

“Thank　you。”　she　said；　smiling。　“I’d　appreciate　it。”

Two　minutes　later　she　was　in　her　car；　driving　to　Noah’s；　anticipating　the　day；　largely　unconcerned　about　the　phone　calls。　Yesterday　she　would　have　been；　and　she　wondered　what　that　meant。

As　she　was　driving　over　the　drawbridge　less　than　four　minutes　after　she’d　left　the　inn；　Lon　called　from　the　courthouse。

CHAPTER　SIX：　SWANS　AND　STORM

NOAH　WAS　sitting　in　his　rocker；　drinking　sweet　tea；　listening　for　the　car；　when　he　finally　heard　it　turn　up　the　drive。　He　went　around　to　the　front　and　watched　the　car　pull　up　and　park　beneath　the　oak　tree　again。　Same　spot　as　yesterday。　Clem　harked　a　greeting　at　her　car　door；　tail　wagging；　and　Noah　saw　Allie　wave　from　inside　the　car。

She　stepped　out；　patted　Clem　on　the　head；　then　turned；　smiling。　　It　was　different　today；　though。　Newer　feelings　now；　not　simply　memories　any　more。　If　anything；　his　attraction　for　her　had　grown　stronger　overnight；　and　it　made　him　feel　a　little　nervous　in　her　presence。

Allie　met　him　halfway；　carrying　a　small　bag。　She　surprised　him　by　kissing　him　gently　on　the　cheek；　her　free　hand　lingering　at　his　waist　after　she　pulled　back。

“Hi；”　she　said；　radiance　in　her　eyes；　“where’s　the　surprise？”　He　relaxed　a　little；　thanking　God　for　that。　“Not　even　a　‘good　afternoon’　or　‘how　was　your　night？’”

She　smiled。　Patience　had　never　been　one　of　her　strongest　attributes。

“Fine。　Good　afternoon。　How　was　your　night？　And　where’s　the　surprise？”

He　chuckled　lightly；　then　paused。　“Allie；　I’ve　got　some　bad　news。　I　was　going　to　take　you　someplace；　but　with　those　clouds　ing　in　I’m　not　sure　we　should　go。”

“Its　not　raining　yet　How　far　is　it？”

“Up　the　creek　about　a　mile。”

“And　I’ve　never　been　there　before？”

“Not　when　it　was　like　this。”

She　thought　for　a　second　while　she　looked　around。　When　she　spoke；　her　voice　was　determined。　“Then　we’ll　go。　I　don’t　care　if　it　rains。”

“Are　you　sure？”

“Absolutely。”

He　looked　at　the　clouds　again；　noting　their　approach。　“Then　we’d　better　go　now；”　he　said。　“Can　I　bring　that　in　for　you？’

She　nodded；　handing　her　bag　to　him；　and　he　jogged　to　the　house　and　took　it　inside；　placing　it　on　a　chair　in　the　living　room。　Then　he　grabbed　some　bread　and　put　it　in　a　bag；　bringing　it　with　him　as　he　left　the　house。

They　walked　to　the　canoe；　Allie　beside　him。　A　little　closer　than　yesterday。

“What　exactly　is　this　place？”

“You’ll　see。”

“You’re　not　even　going　to　give　me　a　hint？”

　“Well；”　he　said；　“do　you　remember　when　we　took　the　canoe　out　and　watched　the　sun　e　up？”

“I　thought　about　it　this　morning。　I　remember　it　made　me　cry？’

“What　you’re　going　to　sec　today　makes　what　you　saw　then　seem　ordinary？

“I　guess　I　should　feel　special。”

He　took　a　few　steps　before　responding。　“You　are　special；”　he　finally　said；　and　the　way　he　said　it　made　her　wonder　if　he　wanted　to　add　something　else。　But　he　didn’t；　and　Allie　smiled　a　little　before　glancing　away。　As　she　did；　she　felt　the　wind　in　her　face　and　noticed　it　had　picked　up　since　the　morning。

They　reached　the　jetty　and；　after　tossing　the　bag　in　the　canoe；　Noah　quickly　checked　to　make　sure　he　hadn’t　missed　anything；　then　slid　the　canoe　to　the　water。

Can　I　do　anything？”

“No；　just　get　in。”

After　she　climbed　in；　he　pushed　the　canoe　further　into　the　water。　Then　he　gracefully　stepped　off　the　jetty　into　the　canoe；　placing　his　feet　carefully　to　prevent　it　from　capsizing。　Allie　was　impressed　by　his　agility；　knowing　that　what　he　had　done　so　quickly　and　easily　was　harder　than　it　looked。

She　sat　at　the　front　of　the　canoe；　facing　backwards。　Noah　had　said　something　about　missing　the　view　when　he　started　to　paddle；　but　she’d　shaken　her　head；　saying　she　was　fine　the　way　she　was。

And　it　was　true。　She　could　see　everything　she　really　wanted　to　see　if　she　turned　her　head；　but　most　of　all　she　wanted　to　watch　Noah。　It　was　him　she’d　e　to　see；　not　the　creek。　His　shirt　was　unbuttoned　at　the　top；　and　she　could　see　his　chest　muscles　flex　with　every　stroke。　His　sleeves　were　rolled　up　too；　and　she　could　see　the　well…developed　muscles　in　his　arms。

Artistic；　she　thought。　There’s　something　almost　artistic　about　him。　Something　natural；　as　if　being　on　the　water　were　beyond　his　control；　part　of　a　gene　passed　on　to　him　from　some　obscure　hereditary　pool。

She　couldn’t　think　of　anyone　else　who　remotely　resembled　him。　He　was　plicated；　almost　contradictory　in　so　many　ways；　yet　simple；　a　strangely　erotic　bination。　On　the　surface　he　was　a　country　boy；　Home　from　war；　and　he　probably　saw　himself　in　those　terms。　Yet　there　was　so　much　more　to　him。　Perhaps　it　was　the　poetry　that　made　him　different；　or　perhaps　it　was　the　values　his　father　had　instilled　in　him；　growing　up。　Either　way；　he　seemed　to　savour　life　more　fully　than　others　appeared　to；　and　that　was　what　had　first　attracted　her　to　him。

“What　arc　you　thinking？”

She　felt　her　insides　jump　just　a　hit　as　Noah’s　voice　brought　her　back　to　the　present。　She　realized　she　hadn’t　said　much　since　they’d　started；　and　she　appreciated　the　silence　he　had　allowed　her。　He’d　always　been　considerate　like　that。

“Good　things；”　she　answered　quietly；　and　she　saw　in　his　eyes　that　he　knew　she　was　thinking　about　him。　She　liked　the　fact　that　he　knew　it；　and　she　hoped　he　had　been　thinking　about　her　as　well。

She　understood　then　that　something　was　stirring　within　her；　as　it　had　so　many　years　ago。　Watching　his　body　move　made　her　feel　it。　And　as　their　eyes　met　for　a　second；　she　felt　the　heat　in　her　neck　and　breasts；　and　she　flushed；　turning　away　before　he　noticed。

“How　much　further？”　she　asked。

“Another　half…mile　or　so。　Not　any　more　than　that。”

A　pause。　Then　she　said：　“Tell　me；　Noah；　what　do　you　remembe