Date: Thursday, 12/11/69

The only person I hadn’t told yet who I wanted to tell in person was Lauren. I had kept to my regular tutoring schedule and thought at some point I would be able to talk to her. She’s been sick for a few days and when I went to the Day Care Center today to work with Jason, Elise said she hadn’t returned to work yet. I asked if it would be okay for me to pay her a visit after Jason and I finished his lesson.

Elise said she was sure Lauren would love to have company. She gave me the address and directions to find it. That was a good thing as I get lost easily in the dark here.

She reminded me to keep my distance from Lauren so as not to pick up her cold. I assured her I would be careful and then gave myself a huge pat on the back for having been around all these sniffling and coughing children and not getting sick.

I walked in the dark to Lauren’s house following the directions carefully. There aren’t many street lamps in Town and the sidewalks are narrow and uneven. I didn’t want to fall on my way to her house.

When I arrived, I took a deep breath and walked up to her front door. I realized I should have brought her something for her cold. I knocked and she opened the door and looked startled to see me. I woke her up. I offered to leave. She begged me to come inside. She led me into her library at the back of the house. Her library was so warm and cozy and it felt like being in a temple devoted to books. Everywhere I looked they sat, spine out, face out, opened, marked with bookmarks. But treated with respect.

“It gets lonely being sick. I forgot. I rarely pick up these kids’ cold anymore but when I do . . .”

She left her sentence unfinished as she is having trouble talking with the cold.

I sat down in a chair as far away from her as possible. Her dog came bounding out of the bedroom to be with us.

Lauren asked me why I looked so brilliantly happy. I loved that description. It made it easy to blurt out, “Charles proposed to me over the weekend.” I showed her the ring as proof of his proposal.

She looked startled. I expected that. Also as I expected, I saw the but, but, buts . . . forming in her mind but she didn’t say them. She smiled at me and said how happy she was for me.

She wanted to know when and where we were getting married. I told her that we hadn’t decided yet. For now, we were going away at the end of the term. We wanted to rest and to be alone.

I couldn’t believe these words keep coming out of my mouth about Charles’ family having a place in Paris we might go to. It sounds foreign to me too that some place in a country I have never been to there is a house that I am free to go to with my future husband.

She laughed and put her hand out to her dog to keep her from bothering me. I didn’t mind though.

She said, “You’re set then? Life is going to be very different for you now, isn’t it? Having a wealthy husband is a game changer as they say.”

I looked at her as if I could see her words balloon up in the room. She said it. Now that Lauren has said that about the money, I know others are thinking that too. Charles is very wealthy and that will change my life immensely, I know that. How, at this moment, I’m not sure.

“Yes, he has money. But as old-fashioned as this sounds, if he lost it all right now, I’d still marry him.”

“And I’m sure that’s true but you’re not going to have to worry about that right now. I am still sick, Scags. I hate to have to kick you out, but I must go back to bed.”

I left Lauren’s assuring her I wasn’t going to catch her cold and that I was still going to work at the Day Care Center.

She laughed at me and said, “Of course you are but you’re going to work for free.”

I laughed too. I so like being with Lauren and I am going to be able to spend more time at the Day Care Center next term because my life will be much simpler.

As I closed her front door against the cold air, I heard her yell after me, “Congratulations, and you’d better invite me to the wedding.”

I ran off and came back to Charles’ place. I made a note in my head and now in here. No matter where we get married, Lauren will be there. I’ll make sure of that.