Christmas came rushing toward Ben at a rapid pace. He worked hard on his story and took Charlene out twice. During the last week before Christmas they had dinner together. Ben talked about his plans to have Christmas dinner with his dad and was pleased when Charlene asked if she could join the party.
“Why, sure you can, but I thought you’d have other plans.”
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do or anybody I’d rather be with.”
Charlene was wearing a black knit dress with a high collar and sleeves that formed a slight bell at the wrists. It seemed to skim over her body and fell to just below her knees. Her hair was hanging down but was tucked behind her ears, showing off a pair of pearl earrings. Ben suddenly grinned. “I thought doctors always had emergencies on Christmas.”
“That’s possible, but I’m not going to plan for it.”
The two went for a drive out by the lake. A snow had fallen the night before, and the pristine beauty of the moonlight on the water caught both of them. He parked the car and turned to her. “You know, I’ve never looked forward to Christmas like I am to this one.”
“Not even when you were young?”
“Not even then.”
They sat there talking, running the engine to keep the car warm, and finally he said, “I want to give you something nice for Christmas. What do you want?”
“Dedicate your first book to me.”
Ben smiled, then reached over and took her hand. “I was going to do that anyway.”
“What do you want for Christmas?” Charlene asked.
Ben was quiet for such a long time that Charlene wondered about it. “Was that too hard for you, Ben?”
“No. I know exactly what I want. I want us to be together.” He lifted his eyes, and in the silvery moonlight he saw that her lips were parted slightly and she was watching him carefully. “You mean to be friends?” she asked.
“I think we’re already that, but I want more than that. I want you to come to think of me as a man you might marry.” Ben saw that her eyes widened, and he said quickly, “I know it’s too soon for that, but I’m warning you my worst flaw is stubbornness. I’d like for us to grow old together, Charlene. False teeth, Metamucil, forgetting where we put our glasses. All that kind of stuff.”
“That’s a wonderful proposal. I’ll bet no man in the world ever put Metamucil in his proposal to a woman.”
“What do you think of it?” Ben lifted her hand, kissed it, and said, “I know—let’s go steady!”
Charlene suddenly laughed. “I haven’t heard that expression in years. You mean like in high school?”
“Sure.”
“The last time I went steady was when I was sixteen years old. I agreed to go steady with Norm Obermeyer.”
“Good old Norm.”
“Well, I didn’t like him much, but it was my first offer.”
Ben stroked her hand. “How long did it last?”
“I think it was three weeks. Maybe it was only two. I can’t remember. Betty Hodges was one of the cheerleaders. She took him away from me.”
“Norm was kind of a dork. Betty Hodges didn’t have anything.”
“You didn’t even know her.”
“No, but I know you. What about it?” he said. “You want to go steady?”
“I think so.”
Ben expelled his breath. “I thought you’d say no.”
“That’s what it is, Ben. Just going steady. Seeing each other. Getting married is too big a thing to be wrong about.”
“I know. I’ll be on trial. You’ll begin to check all my habits to see if I qualify.”
“And you can check all of mine.”
Ben moved closer and put his arms around her. “Don’t you think,” he whispered, “that two people who have decided to go steady should make some kind of gesture? You know, just so they know where they are?”
Charlene’s lips curved upward at the corners in a smile. “You mean like give each other name bracelets?”
“No. I mean like this.” He was watching her carefully and saw her eyes widen as he drew her close. Her eyes were soft gray, and the light danced in them. He saw her lips lengthen and then he kissed her, his mouth bearing down hard and heavy on hers. When he lifted his lips, she asked him suddenly, “What’s the woman like, Ben, the woman you want?”
Ben sat very still, aware of the warmth and the firmness of her as he held her, and Charlene knew that her question had reached into the deepest place of his makeup. She knew suddenly that the picture of a woman was in him, colored and rounded, and yet she knew that he had no words that could describe what he felt.
“Like you,” he said simply. “I didn’t know there was a woman like you.”
Charlene felt warm and content and fulfilled. “There’s been an emptiness in me, Ben. I’ve been lonely and afraid to face the future alone, but now I know that I don’t have to.”
They sat there silently for a time, and suddenly she turned toward him. “I’m going to give your dad a gift.”
“Well, he’s a little bit hard to buy for.”
“I know, but he’ll like this one.” She squeezed his hand between both of hers and said, “Let me tell you about it. . . .”