Read Online A Love for All Time by Dorothy Garlock - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Dorothy Garlock
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mother! House-sit! Another salve for his conscience!
In the quiet of her apartment, Casey squeezed her eyes shut and deliberately brought into her mind tire image of her reflection in the mirror that first morning when she viewed her naked body. The breast that had been badly cut by the flying glass was two-thirds the size of the other. A patchwork of puckered scars ranging in color from deep red to dark purple was spread across her stomach, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms. She had held her hair back from her face and absorbed the entire picture of the deep, ugly wound across her forehead to her cheek, ear, and down the length of her body.
For the tiniest moment Casey imagined she wasseeing a body that wasn’t her own, then she whimpered softly, grieving for the sleek, slim, flawless body of a month ago. She hadn’t appreciated it, taking the satin smooth flesh of her face, shoulders, and arms for granted. Her wardrobe was full of low necked, sleeveless dresses and blouses that she would never wear again. The sight of her naked body had shocked her into realizing she would not, could not, have a physical relationship with any man. The thought of a man viewing her naked body brought the bile to her throat even now, days after the thought had first occurred to her.
The ringing of the phone jarred her from her painful reflections.
“Casey, this is Linda. I called the hospital and they said you were home. I was going to dash up to see you this evening and bring you up to date on the company news. I also want to hear all about your new man. Holy Moses! Where did you find him? I hear he’s not only in the chips, no pun intended, but he’s a well-known Canadian rugby player.”
“You heard right. Say, did Bobby get settled in at his new school?”
“Yes, my one and only offspring is now a military cadet and this house is like a tomb. I thought I might come by this evening if you feel up to having someone around.”
“Thanks for thinking about me, Linda, but … I … I believe my father will be around and, besides,I feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller. Can we make it another time?”
“Sure. I want you to know, though, that the rest of the girls and I feel you were given the shaft by our esteemed boss. I’m terribly sorry, Casey. If jobs weren’t so hard to find, I’d tell that puffed up pipsqueak where to put mine.”
“Thanks. It’s probably for the best. It’ll force me to get out and try something new. I feel as though I’ve had blinders on and seen nothing but my job for the past few years.”
“Well, like Dan said you would have quit anyway when you were married. This will give you time to prepare for the big event. When is it by the way?”
“Ah … we haven’t decided. Thanks for calling, Linda. Maybe we can get together soon. Bye.”
Irritation at Dan for continuing the ruse that they were going to be married edged out Casey’s depression.
“When did you decide you wanted to come down to Newport?” Judy pressed her foot to the accelerator and the car picked up speed to pass a long truck hauling logs.
“I don’t know. Newport is quaint and lovely. I can afford to spend two or three weeks before I start looking for a job and I thought I’d enjoy the solitude. The tourist season is almost over and I should be able to find a place that’s quite reasonable.”
Casey felt better now that she was actually on her way. The back seat of the car was loaded with clothes, books, her small TV set, and an assortment of linens she thought she might need if she rented a small housekeeping apartment. The windows of the car were open and Judy’s short hair flew in all directions. Casey wore a three-cornered scarf tied tightly at the nape of her neck. It kept her hair pressed to her forehead and covered her ears.
“Look at the size of those cherries,” Judy exclaimed. “I want some before I leave, even if they’re freighted up from California.”
The sign said: “Cherries, Gas,
In the quiet of her apartment, Casey squeezed her eyes shut and deliberately brought into her mind tire image of her reflection in the mirror that first morning when she viewed her naked body. The breast that had been badly cut by the flying glass was two-thirds the size of the other. A patchwork of puckered scars ranging in color from deep red to dark purple was spread across her stomach, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms. She had held her hair back from her face and absorbed the entire picture of the deep, ugly wound across her forehead to her cheek, ear, and down the length of her body.
For the tiniest moment Casey imagined she wasseeing a body that wasn’t her own, then she whimpered softly, grieving for the sleek, slim, flawless body of a month ago. She hadn’t appreciated it, taking the satin smooth flesh of her face, shoulders, and arms for granted. Her wardrobe was full of low necked, sleeveless dresses and blouses that she would never wear again. The sight of her naked body had shocked her into realizing she would not, could not, have a physical relationship with any man. The thought of a man viewing her naked body brought the bile to her throat even now, days after the thought had first occurred to her.
The ringing of the phone jarred her from her painful reflections.
“Casey, this is Linda. I called the hospital and they said you were home. I was going to dash up to see you this evening and bring you up to date on the company news. I also want to hear all about your new man. Holy Moses! Where did you find him? I hear he’s not only in the chips, no pun intended, but he’s a well-known Canadian rugby player.”
“You heard right. Say, did Bobby get settled in at his new school?”
“Yes, my one and only offspring is now a military cadet and this house is like a tomb. I thought I might come by this evening if you feel up to having someone around.”
“Thanks for thinking about me, Linda, but … I … I believe my father will be around and, besides,I feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller. Can we make it another time?”
“Sure. I want you to know, though, that the rest of the girls and I feel you were given the shaft by our esteemed boss. I’m terribly sorry, Casey. If jobs weren’t so hard to find, I’d tell that puffed up pipsqueak where to put mine.”
“Thanks. It’s probably for the best. It’ll force me to get out and try something new. I feel as though I’ve had blinders on and seen nothing but my job for the past few years.”
“Well, like Dan said you would have quit anyway when you were married. This will give you time to prepare for the big event. When is it by the way?”
“Ah … we haven’t decided. Thanks for calling, Linda. Maybe we can get together soon. Bye.”
Irritation at Dan for continuing the ruse that they were going to be married edged out Casey’s depression.
“When did you decide you wanted to come down to Newport?” Judy pressed her foot to the accelerator and the car picked up speed to pass a long truck hauling logs.
“I don’t know. Newport is quaint and lovely. I can afford to spend two or three weeks before I start looking for a job and I thought I’d enjoy the solitude. The tourist season is almost over and I should be able to find a place that’s quite reasonable.”
Casey felt better now that she was actually on her way. The back seat of the car was loaded with clothes, books, her small TV set, and an assortment of linens she thought she might need if she rented a small housekeeping apartment. The windows of the car were open and Judy’s short hair flew in all directions. Casey wore a three-cornered scarf tied tightly at the nape of her neck. It kept her hair pressed to her forehead and covered her ears.
“Look at the size of those cherries,” Judy exclaimed. “I want some before I leave, even if they’re freighted up from California.”
The sign said: “Cherries, Gas,
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