Chapter 45 Section VII

"I'm afraid I'll be out of the city for two or three days," said Beth. "What?" Decker was driving on the narrow Tano Road in the north of the city.The road is winding, with dwarf pines on both sides.Hearing this, he gave her a puzzled look.It was Friday, September 9th, the last day of the tourist season and the first night of Carnival.He and Beth have been lovers for 8 days. "Did something happen suddenly? You never mentioned it to me before." "Suddenly? Yes, and no," said Beth.She stared across the nearby low hills in the setting sun to the Jemais Range to the west. "It was kind of sudden to start the day after tomorrow, but I knew it was going to have to happen eventually. I needed to go back to Westchester County and meet with a lawyer—that sort of thing, with my late husband's estate. "

The mention of Beth's late husband made Decker uncomfortable.Whenever possible, he avoided the subject.He worried that Beth's nostalgia for the man would affect her relationship with him and make her ambivalence.Was he still jealous of a dead man?He couldn't tell. "Two or three days? When are you going to come back?" Decker asked. "Actually, maybe a little longer, maybe a week. It's a trivial matter, but it's important. My husband has partners, and they're having trouble deciding what his share in the business is worth at the moment." "I see," Decker said.He wanted to ask her all kinds of questions, but he held back his mouth.If Beth wanted to tell him about her past, she would.He made up his mind not to force her to speak.Besides, they had planned to have a good time this evening.They were going to a carnival party at the home of a film producer whose real estate agent Decker was.Apparently, Beth didn't want to talk about her legal problems anymore, so why push her? "I will miss you."

"Me too," said Beth, "it's going to be a long week."