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“It only takes twenty minutes to drive to New Paltz. I think you can wait that long.”
“Are we taking my motorcycle?”
“No, we’ll need to go in my car.” Buster leaped inside when Joe opened the door. “Um... it may not be a good idea to bring Buster,” I said. I had no idea how Barbara felt about dogs.
“Aw, he can come along, can’t he?” It wasn’t really a question. Buster and Joe had already settled into their seats. I got in and started toward New Paltz.
Of course, the bus was late. Joe kept checking his watch as if eager for a night out on the town, and I paced back and forth in front of the shiny, bullet-shaped diner that doubled as a bus station. I thought I might have to tell him my secret before he throttled me, but the bus arrived in the nick of time. Only one person stepped off.
“Barbie?” Joe breathed when he saw her. “Barbie! Hey! It’s really you!” She dropped her bag and ran into his arms, just like people did in the movies.
“Hey, did you arrange all this?” Joe asked me with a grin.
“She did!” Barbara said. “Thank you, Peggy. You’re wonderful! It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
I had no idea what to do next. I figured they must want to be alone. Barbara solved my dilemma by gesturing to the diner. “Could we get a bite to eat? I ate the ham sandwich I packed hours ago. I’m starving!”
“Sure,” Joe said but he looked like he was eating a banquet just by gazing at her.
“I’ll wait out here,” I said, but Barbara wouldn’t hear of it. I tied Buster up near the car, then went in and sat in the booth across from Barbara and Joe and ordered a cola, wondering if Paul had gotten my note and if he was angry with me for standing him up. Meanwhile, Barbara did most of the talking, telling Joe about her bus ride and filling him in on the news from back home. I didn’t know how she would manage to eat with only one hand, but Joe finally let go of hers long enough for them to eat their hamburgers.
“I’ve arranged for you to stay here tonight,” I told her when we passed the guesthouse on the way into town. “I’ll take your bag there for you.” I dropped the two lovebirds off at Pop’s garage and heard them making plans to leave again on Joe’s motorcycle. I didn’t blame them. It was only eight thirty on a balmy Saturday evening. I put Buster in his kennel and returned to the guesthouse, contented yet feeling strangely empty inside as I wondered what my picnic with Paul would have been like.
I tossed in bed all night, looking at the glowing hands of my alarm clock and listening for Barbara to come home. The sun was just appearing when I finally heard Joe’s motorcycle outside. I hurried down to the back door to let her in, hoping we wouldn’t awaken Mrs. Jenkins or the couple from New Jersey who were renting one of her other rooms.
“Sorry,” Barb whispered as we hurried upstairs to my room. “Oh, I have so much to tell you, Peggy!” We sat on our twin beds, talking like two old friends as she told me about her night. Joe had taken her up to the lookout to see the stars, and they had stayed up there all night, talking and planning their future. Joe hadn’t even needed a drink.
“He has changed so much in these past few months, thanks to you,” Barbara said.
“To me? I haven’t done anything.”
“Yes, you have! Joe told me how you’ve been trying to help his friend Jim and talking to all his old Army buddies. Joe has been listening to all the advice they gave, and it really helped him. He was so hard on himself in the past because of his shell shock. He said he felt like a coward and a failure for not shaking it off. It really helped him to know that all the others had trouble getting over it, too. He said his friend Jim still struggled, and Joe had always admired him so much.”
“I’m glad,” I said. I remembered what Dr. Morgan had said about long-term hospitalization and wished his buddies’ advice had helped Jimmy, too.
“Joe said that a lot of the men talked about how their wives or girlfriends helped them, but he thought it was all over for us. He thought he had ruined everything and that I didn’t love him anymore. He said when I stepped off the bus, he felt like the sun was shining for the first time in months.” She wiped her eyes and said, “How can I ever thank you, Peggy?”
“Just be happy,” I said. “And take good care of each other.”
I wondered if I would ever find someone to share my life with, the good times as well as the hard times. Something shifted in my heart, and for a brief moment I saw Donna and Pop in the light of Barbara and Joe’s love. They deserved a new start, too. In an apartment all to themselves.
“So what’s next?” I asked Barbara.
“We’re going to get some sleep,” she said, laughing. “Joe went back to your father’s garage for a few hours and I’m going to try to nap here. Then we’re leaving for Ohio together this afternoon.”
“On his motorcycle? All that way?”
She laughed again. “I’m not letting him out of my sight or out of my arms ever again!”
* * *
I had plenty of time to get dressed and go to church, but I was too cowardly to face Paul Dixon. Instead, I bought the Sunday paper and sat in the park with Buster, searching for an apartment until it was time to ride to the hospital with the Barnetts.
“May I ask you something, Peggy?” Mr. Barnett said as we drove the now-familiar route to the ferry crossing over the Hudson River. “And you can tell me it’s none of my business if you want to. I’ll understand.”
“You can ask me anything.” I tried not to sound too hesitant.
“I ran into Paul Dixon at church this morning and he was looking for you. He asked me if I knew how to get in touch with you. I didn’t know what to say.”
