Chapter 31 fourth quarter

Decker clinked his glass with her. "This house is amazing. I can't believe the owner accepted my offer so quickly." Beth gleefully took a swig of her margarita.She put down the spherical glass and licked the foam and salt off her upper lip. "I seem to be dreaming." They were sitting at a table by the window on the second floor in a Spanish restaurant called Gaduñier.The place was furnished like a house in a Spanish hacienda.In the restaurant, a group of mariachis walked up and down, serenading the enthusiastic customers.Beth didn't seem to know where to look.She looked out the window at the Santa Fe street, at the band, at the glass or at Decker.She took another sip of her wine. "It's like a dream."

Customers in the restaurant applaud the guitarist and trumpeter.Beth smiled and looked out the window, and when she turned her eyes back to Decker, her smile disappeared and her expression was serious. "Thank you." "I didn't do anything. I just showed you the house—" "You make me happy. You make it so much easier." Beth surprised him by reaching across the table and stroking his hand. "You have no idea how much courage it takes to do this." Decker loved her smooth, soft hands. "courage?" "You must be wondering where I got $700,000 for this house."

"I don't ask about that kind of thing. As long as I'm sure the customer can afford it..." He didn't finish. "I told you I'm an artist, and I do make a living. But I also told you I'm not married." Decker tensed up. "I was married once." Decker listened, puzzled. "The money I bought the house was..." Divorce alimony, Decker thought. "It's life insurance," Beth said. "My husband died six and a half months ago." Decker put down his glass and looked at her, concern giving way to pity. "I regret that."

"That's about the only answer that makes sense." "What happened?" "Cancer." Beth seemed to be struggling to speak.She took another sip and stared at the glass. "Ray has a mole on the back of his neck." Decker waited for her to continue. "Last summer, the mole changed shape and color, but he was reluctant to go to the doctor. Then, the mole started to bleed, and it turned out to be the most serious skin cancer. Malignant melanoma." Decker continued to wait for her to speak. Beth's voice trembled. "Although Lei went to remove the mole, it was too late to stop the cancer from spreading... Neither radiotherapy nor chemotherapy worked... He died in January."

A band of tramps approached their table.The music was so loud that Decker could barely hear Beth's words.He waved them away angrily.When they saw his fierce eyes, they hurried to do it. "That's it," said Beth, "and I became desperate, and I still am. We had a house in Westchester County outside New York City, but I couldn't live there any longer. Everything around me It reminds me of Ray, and of what I've lost. People who thought they were my friends didn't know how to deal with my grief, and they all stayed away. I don't think I could be more alone." She looked down at her hands. "A few days ago, in my therapist's waiting room, I saw a travel magazine, I think it was Condé Nest Traveler. It said Santa Fe was the most popular tourist in the world One of the great places. I love the pictures and the description of the city. On the spur of the moment..." Her voice faded.

A gorgeously dressed waitress stopped at their table. "Would you like to order now?" "No," said Beth, "I'm afraid I've lost my appetite." "We'll have to wait a little longer," Decker said. When the waitress walked away, he said, "I myself made a decision on impulse. In fact, I came to Santa Fe on impulse." "what's the result?" "Much better than I hoped for." "God bless, I wish I could say something like that for myself." Beth ran her finger up and down the rim of the glass. "What did your psychiatrist say about your sudden decision?"

"I didn't tell him at all. I didn't keep my appointment to go in and meet him. I just put the magazine down and ran home to pack. I bought a one-way ticket and came to Santa Fe." Decker tried not to keep his eyes from widening.The resemblance of their experiences surprised him. "I don't regret it at all," said Beth firmly. "The future can never be worse than what has happened in the past year."