Chapter 19

Pat pulled the truck into a parking spot at the motel and shut off the engine. He asked Ruth to get Pauline, Sarah and Anna so that they could see what they had picked up from the drug store. She returned shortly with the women and Pat opened the back of the truck cap and let Ruth point out what they had.

After the women had a good idea of what was in the back of the truck Ruth showed them the jewelry that she had liberated. Anna made a comment that about what the people that owned the house would think if they came back and saw the jewelry gone.

Everyone laughed and Anna blushed when she realized how foolish her concerns were. Ruth laughed and told Anna that if the real owners came back she would return the jewelry.

After a while everyone went back into the motel except Pat and Pauline. Pat could tell that there was something on her mind. He decided that he would let her broach the subject.

Pauline had a thoughtful look on her face, "Ruth looks very happy. Did you... ?'

Pat interrupted her, "I wouldn't tell you if I did or didn't. It would be very cruel of me to throw it in your face if I did. I think that you know how I feel about you and I would never want to hurt you."

Pauline put her arms around him, "You know, you're a very special man. I love you and I know how things are going to have to be if we never find anyone else alive. As I said before, I'm not thrilled about it but I know how things will have to be. Just knowing that you love me makes me happy."

"How about you and I take one of the vehicles and get off to ourselves tonight; somewhere where we can make all of the noise we want and not bother anybody?"

She smiled at him, "Where do you have in mind?"

"I think we'll know when we get there."

"I think that we'd better let Anna and Sarah know so that they don't think something happened to us," she said.

"I'll leave that up to you."

Pauline looked into his eyes, "Are you going to be up to it tonight?"

Pat hugged her tighter, "You'd better take a nap before we leave so you'll be up to it."

"Ho ho," Pauline kidded him, "Listen to the man talk. We'll see who yells uncle."

After telling Sara and Anna what they were doing Pat and Pauline took the Escalade and left the motel parking lot. When Pauline told Anna about their plans Anna got a sad look of her face that Pauline didn't understand.

Pat drove and when he started to drive by a huge shopping mall Pauline called out for him to stop. He pulled into the parking lot of the mall, threading the Escalade around all of the parked and crashed cars, and stopped in the fire lane. Pauline had directed him to one of the upscale department stores that was one of the anchor stores for the mall. She wanted to go in by herself but Pat wouldn't let her.

They walked into the department store and Pauline said, "I could never afford to shop here. This store was always too rich for my blood."

Pat smiled at her, "Take whatever you want. Just put it on my account. I think my credit is good in this store."

Pauline made him sit in the men's section while she got what she needed. After she had the clothes that she wanted for their night together she turned to make sure that Pat couldn't see her and she slipped out of the store and into the Victoria's Secret store. She picked the items she wanted and put them in the bags from the department store.

She walked back to where Pat was waiting for her, "Now, I've got what I'm going to wear tonight. I want you to get a nice suit, shoes and everything else you'll need for a night out."