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“It’s in Piñon Pine Grove, a special school for students cursed with too much intelligence.”
“You’re far from cursed, Donna.”
“We’ll see.”
“So . . . Piñon Pine Grove. That’s in the Coachella Valley.”
“A world away, really. I’ll let you know how it works. All I know is it’s so special it’s fenced in and guarded.”
“You’re kidding. Like a prison?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet.”
He shook his head slightly. “You’ll meet some male genius and forget me.”
“Maybe.”
“What?”
I laughed. “No, I won’t. I mean, I’m sure I’ll meet some male wizard, but forgetting you is not an option. Maybe you’ll forget about me. I know those girls in our school. They’ll think you’re some kind of movie star now and woo you.”
“Woo?”
“Try to get you
to fall in love with them.”
“I’m not falling in love with anyone . . . else,” he said. “And don’t start quoting statistics about teenage romances or something.”
“Okay,” I said. It was in the back of my mind, but I smothered it.
He looked sad.
I reached for his hand and played with his fingers. “I never kissed anyone the way I kissed you. Nothing I know, no facts, nothing matters more than that. You get back on your feet, and as soon as I can, I’ll arrange for you to visit, or I’ll let you know when I’m coming home. I promise it won’t be long.”
“You once told me promises are houses built on foundations of fog.”
“I didn’t know I’d ever make a promise. There’s no fog.” I smiled, feeling more optimistic than I’d imagined I could at this moment.
He tightened his grip on my hand, and I rose from the chair and kissed him.
The nurse’s aide entered to get his tray. “He didn’t eat much,” she said.
“He will now. Won’t you, Greg?”
“Yes,” he said.
She smiled and left us. I sat with him for another half hour, holding his hand. His nurse came by to give him more pain medication and told me he was probably going to fall asleep.
After she left, I stood. “My mother’s downstairs,” I said. “She’s probably read the same page in her book for a half hour.”
“When do you go to the new school?”
“Tomorrow, if not later today.”
“That fast?”
“It’s like a train. I have to catch a ride.”
