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Maybe Sarah had told her teacher that her father owned a garden-centre.
But, that would explain only the first part of the mystery. In a city of
four million people, it was indeed a coincidence to stumble upon Carol’s
niece flirting with the same man with whom he had talked for the first
time just a few hours earlier.
Would he say hello after all and inquire about Carol’s health?
Kathy was one of the very few people who would know how she was
doing... But Fred’s aversion for invasions of privacy was too strong.
The best would be to give a ring to Carol tonight before visiting her tomorrow.
Unless Kathy and the Frenchman recognized him on their way
out. They had finished their meal a while ago, but they staid on and on.
Eventually, when attendants began removing chairs and tables to make
room for a jazz band, they left, walking past him, who had bought a
third beer he did not care to drink. But they did not pay any attention
to the world around them.
Carol was at home. She sounded almost happy: she had the baby
with her for the weekend, till Monday morning. Would she mind if he
came over tomorrow, some time in the afternoon? No, on the contrary,
she would be very pleased. “Have you been away?” she said, “I have
missed you. I wondered why you didn’t call all this time, over a month...”
As if he had not asked her to marry him, as if she had not said no, as if
nothing had happened. He dared not ask whether she had reconsidered
her decision, lest he would seem to question her will or its motives. “I
know I have been only a friend for you so far, but will you object if I
speak seriously to you again tomorrow?” She laughed: “What’s new
about it? You always speak in earnest, don’t you?
—Carol, you know what I mean... —Yes, I do. And I’ll be delighted
to see you, whatever you have to say. I’ll go as far as cooking
supper for you, since we cannot go out with baby La, and you’ll be my
only guest. Are you satisfied?” He was not, but he was thrilled. If only
she could accept...
Fred guessed that there was something hidden in her life story,
not a “mystery”, but something or someone with a name that she would
not reveal for fear of losing her personality. She was a difficult, fragile
being. Some would have said “dangerous”. All the more on the verge of
panic and able to harm herself and others when she pretended to take
things light-heartedly. There had been a lot of suffering in her life, wounds
and scars that would reopen every now and then. Fred had no respect
for pain, he sincerely hated it, he could not completely trust someone
with an aura of pain, but, on the other hand, he could not relax the grip
of his interest for this woman. Had he married her instead of Susan,
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