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Authors: Jim Grimsley
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do this time ofyear."
Shortly afterward they said good-bye and hung up, and Ford looked up Dan Crell in the telephone book. There was only one listingunder that name, onBlue Ridge
Avenue near North Highland. Standing in the dark, taking deep breaths, Ford lifted the phone receiver again.
After a dozen rings he gave up. Dan had indeed gone home early, or he had decided to do something else for the evening, or he refused to answer the phone. Leaning against the countertop, watching moon-cast tree shadows moving against the windows, Ford gave up for the night.
Christmas in Savannah followed the course of every Christmas he remembered, as far as the family was concerned. But the change in him was evident to his family at once. His sister, Courtenay, picked himup at the airport, fullofnews about Smith College and warnings about Dad and Mom. "Sounds to me like they want to start matchmaking for you as soon as you get in the door. They've invited the oldest Stillwell girl to Grandmother Strachn's for eggnog."
"Christ,"Ford said, "that's allI need."
"Chin up, Fordie. She's so shy she won't say a word. And
"Chin up, Fordie. She's so shy she won't say a word. And she's only tall enough to come up to your ribcage, you can always pretend youdon't see her."
"Whycan't theymind their ownbusiness?"
Courtenay, nearly six feet tall herself, reached across the car to pat his forearm tenderly. "As far as they're concerned, Ford, your marriage is their business. Family business. Just like mine willbe, whenever I get around to it."
"Are youseeinganybody?"
"Oh, yes. The same guy I told you about, the carpenter. Mom willlove it whenI finallytellher about that one."
Ford laughed. Courtenay turned down Abercorn Street and finally onto East Gordon, where Grandmother Strachn's wellkept mansion occupied the corner off Calhoun Square. Ford convinced Courtenay to park on the other side of the square, and they walked slowly through the moss-hung trees, arms around eachother's waists.
"Cheer up, big brother,"Courtenay said, sensing trouble in his silence. "You've always got me. Frankly, it suits me if you wait a long time to get married. As long as the prince of the house is single, the pressure is offthe princess."
"I doubt I ever will."
"Willwhat?"
"Find a wife. Raise a family."
She let the statements stand for a moment. "You sound as if you've got a good reasonfor sayingthat. Do youwant to share it withyour sister?"
He shrugged, affecting nonchalance, but feeling the flutter of tension in his stomach. "I'mnot seeing anybody at allright now. I haven't dated since Haviland."
"Is something wrong, Ford? Is there something you need to talk about?"
They looked each other in the eye. Ford smiled wryly. "Are you asking for direct communication, in the McKinney family?" you asking for direct communication, in the McKinney family?" They remained beneath the draping of Spanish moss. Ford reached for another joke but stopped himself. Without a plan for this moment, he had managed to engineer it anyway. "There is somebodyI want to start seeing. A manat the hospital."
Courtenay accepted this in silence, gently drawing himagainst her side. From Grandmother Strachn's parlor drifted the sound ofrecorded Christmas carols. "Have you talked to Momor Dad about anyofthis?"
"Sort of.To Dad. He deflected the whole thing, and I wasn't verydirect."
"How longhave youknown?"
"About this guy? Not long. About me? I don't know. I'm just now getting around to facing facts." Remembering the Christmas concert, the empty Friday evening, now a week past but fresh and achingnonetheless. "I haven't beenverygood at it, so far."
He told her the story of the last few months, including his therapy sessions with Shaun, and his pattern of more-or-less anonymous sex. Her lack ofsurprise gave himto understand that the news neither surprised nor shocked her particularly, and she listened as ifthere were allthe time in the world. Finally she said, "I guess I knew something was going on. You're
Shortly afterward they said good-bye and hung up, and Ford looked up Dan Crell in the telephone book. There was only one listingunder that name, onBlue Ridge
Avenue near North Highland. Standing in the dark, taking deep breaths, Ford lifted the phone receiver again.
After a dozen rings he gave up. Dan had indeed gone home early, or he had decided to do something else for the evening, or he refused to answer the phone. Leaning against the countertop, watching moon-cast tree shadows moving against the windows, Ford gave up for the night.
Christmas in Savannah followed the course of every Christmas he remembered, as far as the family was concerned. But the change in him was evident to his family at once. His sister, Courtenay, picked himup at the airport, fullofnews about Smith College and warnings about Dad and Mom. "Sounds to me like they want to start matchmaking for you as soon as you get in the door. They've invited the oldest Stillwell girl to Grandmother Strachn's for eggnog."
"Christ,"Ford said, "that's allI need."
"Chin up, Fordie. She's so shy she won't say a word. And
"Chin up, Fordie. She's so shy she won't say a word. And she's only tall enough to come up to your ribcage, you can always pretend youdon't see her."
"Whycan't theymind their ownbusiness?"
Courtenay, nearly six feet tall herself, reached across the car to pat his forearm tenderly. "As far as they're concerned, Ford, your marriage is their business. Family business. Just like mine willbe, whenever I get around to it."
"Are youseeinganybody?"
"Oh, yes. The same guy I told you about, the carpenter. Mom willlove it whenI finallytellher about that one."
Ford laughed. Courtenay turned down Abercorn Street and finally onto East Gordon, where Grandmother Strachn's wellkept mansion occupied the corner off Calhoun Square. Ford convinced Courtenay to park on the other side of the square, and they walked slowly through the moss-hung trees, arms around eachother's waists.
"Cheer up, big brother,"Courtenay said, sensing trouble in his silence. "You've always got me. Frankly, it suits me if you wait a long time to get married. As long as the prince of the house is single, the pressure is offthe princess."
"I doubt I ever will."
"Willwhat?"
"Find a wife. Raise a family."
She let the statements stand for a moment. "You sound as if you've got a good reasonfor sayingthat. Do youwant to share it withyour sister?"
He shrugged, affecting nonchalance, but feeling the flutter of tension in his stomach. "I'mnot seeing anybody at allright now. I haven't dated since Haviland."
"Is something wrong, Ford? Is there something you need to talk about?"
They looked each other in the eye. Ford smiled wryly. "Are you asking for direct communication, in the McKinney family?" you asking for direct communication, in the McKinney family?" They remained beneath the draping of Spanish moss. Ford reached for another joke but stopped himself. Without a plan for this moment, he had managed to engineer it anyway. "There is somebodyI want to start seeing. A manat the hospital."
Courtenay accepted this in silence, gently drawing himagainst her side. From Grandmother Strachn's parlor drifted the sound ofrecorded Christmas carols. "Have you talked to Momor Dad about anyofthis?"
"Sort of.To Dad. He deflected the whole thing, and I wasn't verydirect."
"How longhave youknown?"
"About this guy? Not long. About me? I don't know. I'm just now getting around to facing facts." Remembering the Christmas concert, the empty Friday evening, now a week past but fresh and achingnonetheless. "I haven't beenverygood at it, so far."
He told her the story of the last few months, including his therapy sessions with Shaun, and his pattern of more-or-less anonymous sex. Her lack ofsurprise gave himto understand that the news neither surprised nor shocked her particularly, and she listened as ifthere were allthe time in the world. Finally she said, "I guess I knew something was going on. You're
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