Chapter 9

After a good morning hug lasting too long to be casual the two friends took turns in the shower. Duncan hesitated when dressing. Slacks and shirts could be kept fresh, but climbing back into yesterday's socks and underwear never appealed to him. And today yesterday's shirt and slacks looked decidedly like he had slept in them. It had something to do with having worn them all night long.

Realizing his only choice was the outfit he had just pealed off or something of Helen's he gave in and pulled them on.

Helen led him out of a foul mood with her practical, no nonsense outlook. She had bacon and eggs soon perfuming the air while Duncan was making tea and manning the waffle iron. Helen left him on his own to set the table, even managing a small smile watching him search out plates and silverware.

The mood in the condo was strange. The usually buoyant Duncan was reserved and careful, trying not to be obvious while watching his friend to see how he could help her. He had yet to decide if she would even allow him to help if it was needed.

Helen, the effusive happy one, was quiet, saying little and avoiding eye contact.

After the meal Helen bustled around cleaning, straightening pictures, picking up, sorting magazines, then dumping them back where they had come from. Duncan worked to stay out of her way, drinking coffee until he developed an acid stomach. The two avoided speaking, a difficult task even in the large condo.

Finally Helen settled before the large picture window pensively looking out at the spectacular view of the lake. Duncan joined her there, handing her a glass of orange juice. He couldn't stand without occupying his hands but after all the coffee he needed something else.

After a while Helen began telling him how she and Gerry had met, reminiscing about their courtship and the early days of the marriage. Duncan was wise enough to listen, avoiding all commentary while absorbing this woman's history.

Helen would speak of a fond memory, then leave the thought unfinished and began telling of another.Then she would spin away from the window to pace the room. Her eyes flitted from one thing to another, never settling on Duncan though she was speaking to him. He finally realized she was talking, but not really to him. She needed a sympathetic listener, someone to make the experiences more real. She might not feel comfortable with him at the moment but she valued his ability to listen, to understand.

She needed his understanding.

Near midday Duncan waited until Helen paused between memories and left her momentarily to prepare a light lunch of soup and sandwiches. Once it was on the table he took her elbow and led her to the table.

Lunch was silent and Duncan sensed a storm gathering in his companion.

Helen ate little and what she did eat Duncan had to tease her into taking.

When it was obvious she would eat no more he quickly cleaned the remains of the meal, giving her no opportunity to help. Then he pulled her coat out of the entryway closet, helped her shrug into it then donned his own. Taking her hand he led her down to the path beside the lake.

For the first few moments Helen was silent. When she again began talking she was angry. She demanded to know how and why he felt he had the right to meddle in her affairs. Duncan held himself to quiet apologetic comments. Never confronting her, always sympathetic... And that got her angry too.

They walked for over an hour, Helen never letting up on Duncan and what he had done. But she never released his hand.

Finally by mutually but tacit agreement they turned to retrace their steps. Now she was calmer, more reasonable, more understanding of what Duncan had done and why he had acted as he had. Not once had Duncan explained his motives for looking into Gerald's activities, now Helen was explaining them to him and to herself.

As they walked she grew less judgmental, more understanding, less outraged that he had done so.

Back at the condo they took soft drinks out onto the patio to sit under the spring sky. Sitting on comfortable Adirondack chairs the two soaked up the brightness of the early spring day while continuing their conversation. It was there Helen tried apologizing to Duncan for her reactions.

He wouldn't allow it. Instead he insisted he had been operating with her best interests in mind but confessed also he had no right to do so. Humbly he explained he feared how being suddenly faced with her husband's perfidy would affect her. He apologized over and over, while admitting he would do it again in the same circumstances. He also admitted if he had been aware how strong she was he probably would not have been so worried.

While his motives were good, he had no right to do what he had done.

Helen finally gave him the tiniest of smiles and they fell into a comfortable silence watching a pair of water skiers on the lake. It was a long companionable afternoon at last, spent quietly in one another's company.

The two were emotionally exhausted after a day fighting demons. By mutual agreement they enjoyed a light, early dinner. Helen helped Duncan make up the couch in the living room. Duncan had worried unnecessarily; Helen was easily convinced she would feel more relaxed, more comfortable and even safer if he spent the night on the couch. As she gave his pillow a last fluff she saucily warned him the hallway was rigged with traps to catch anyone wishing to play the night time game of musical chairs.

Before turning in, Duncan convinced her to come with him to collect fresh clothes for tomorrow, reminding her he had already spent two days in the same outfit. He made her laugh describing how attractive she would find him if he spent a third day in the same clothes.

They snickered and teased one another on the trip to the RV to collect fresh ones. Helen insisted it was necessary she come along to see he didn't get lost.

At the RV Duncan fired up his computer before gathering clothes to take back with him to the condo. By the time he had packed clothes for tomorrow, sneaking in another set "just in case," The computer was warmed up. They sat down before the screen while Duncan showed her some of the photos the two of them had taken in and around Ritzville.

Helen was captivated and excited at the quality of the photos she herself had taken. For the first time sincehis arrival in Chelan Duncan felt she was comfortable and pleased with herself.

Before returning to the condo Duncan gathered some of his camera equipment, tossing it in the back seat of the car.

Back at the condo they ran completely out of steam. After sharing a drink the two separated, Helen walking down the hall to her bedroom, Duncan to the sofa. It was only moments before quiet fell over the condo.

The next morning Helen was pensive rather than distraught, given to long thoughtful silences. Duncan, respecting what she was going through kept to himself, leafing through magazines and taking casual photos of and around the condo.

It was late morning before Helen sat down beside him on the couch. For the first time she touched on the relationship between them. They agreed there was something there, Duncan himself insisted he would not, could not allow it to grow further under the circumstances.

Helen reminisced about her life with Gerry, her kids, the life she had been enjoying until the past few years. Somehow Gerry had changed, his personality had changed. She didn't know how to handle it, confessing she didn't feel she knew him anymore.

As the day stretched before them their moods became more and more philosophical, more accepting to the way things were.

As Helen talked of the good times and the bad times Duncan got a picture of a good man turning greedy. As she talked, Duncan glimpsed a moral man whose ideals were morphing into something else. Duncan also sensed a man becoming jealous of his wife's talents and abilities. Helen never mentioned it; Duncan doubted Helen was aware of it.

The man she spoke of wasn't the man who Duncan had met in that rest stop just East of Ritzville. He wasn't the man she had fallen in love with. Something had changed in him though Duncan couldn't put a finger on how and why. Things just moved in unexpected directions.

Gerald wasn't an untalented man but listening to his wife's anecdotes it seemed the man who had proven his worth and been moving up the corporateladder had changed in the last few years. Duncan had the impression Gerald's continued climb had changed from using his own talents to use of other men's ideas and talents for his own advancement. This was a very different man than the one his friend had married.

Sitting down to dinner that evening Duncan decided it was time to move Helen's thinking in another direction. It was time to get her thinking about something other than Gerald and looking forward to the lonely frustration of waiting for the man to finally come back to his wife.