think we're all
set, are we not, Mrs. Barrett?" the receptionist, who had introduced
herself as Mrs. Eldred, asked her smoothly, handing her the amended invoice
that Teel was to include with the return order of sweats.
"Ah, yes...I
guess so..." Teel looked blankly at the folded paper in her hand, then
stuffed it into her purse. "Ah... good-bye Mrs. Elfred." She peered
through the crack in the door out into the hallway. All clear.
"It's Eldred," the woman called
after her.
'What? Oh... whatever."
Teel jerked her head toward the woman, then scurried out into the hall to the
elevator. She held her breath until the doors opened on the next floor.
Two men entered, hardly
pausing in their conversation. "I tell you, Bert, the Old Man has gone
crazy. Max was downtown this morning and overheard the brass talking to him on
a ship-to-shore. Max said he was raging mad, that he chewed everybody's..."
The man glanced at Teel, who sensed his gaze though she kept her face averted.
"... tail about anything at all. Max heard Teller say he'd never known the
Old Man to have a tantrum... That's what he said—tantrum."
"What
happened on that damn cruise anyway?" the other mar. replied He should
have come back a happy man. He took those two high-flying models with him,
Clare Henry and Elise Burrell. He shouldn't be able to keep a smile off his
face."
The first man laughed,
throwing another quick glance at Teel. "How the hell do you know who was
with him?"
"Hey, when
Chazz Herman vacations on his yacht, the whole world knows who goes with
him." The two men chortled.
Teel didn't hear the rest of
the conversation for the roaring in her ears. She surged into the lobby when
the elevator doors opened and practically ran into the street.
Teel was so confused that she plunged pell-mell through the
door of a cab that had just disgorged its passengers in front of the building.
She gave the driver the address of her hotel. It was just three blocks away.
T he M ary D empsey School for Exceptional Children was a
beehive of activity. Teel found few calm moments in her day as the time
approached for the children to leave for the finals preceding the Special
Olympics. Nevertheless, she welcomed the constant preoccupation with work. She
was only happy when she went home reeling from fatigue and fell immediately
into bed. Only then could she avoid dreaming of Chazz. Only then could she
awaken without tears on her cheeks.
Her house had
always given her a quiet joy and a sense of peace. She'd decorated it with
potted plants against cream-colored walls and trim and cheerful blue, red and
cream braided rugs to compliment the stone fireplace. Now the place seemed a
veritable torture chamber. When she beat eggs to make an omelet for supper, she
saw Chazz's face in the swirling mixture. When she watched dramas on TV, she
saw him dashing through the air with athletic ease to rescue the damsel in
distress. It did no good to tell herself that the actor wasn't Chazz, that he
wasn't kissing the full-breasted blonde. She still writhed with jealous anger.
She considered talking to Alison James, the staff psychologist, but she
couldn't face discussing Chazz with anyone. So she buried herself in work. It
didn't solve the problem, but it helped.
Teel hadn't planned to
accompany the children to New York, but two days before departure one of the
coaches came down with the flu. Teel crossed her fingers that it wouldn't
spread to other teachers or the children and said she'd help chaperon.
"I'm so glad you're
going, Teel," Nancy Weil shouted over the heads of the noisy children she
and Teel were shepherding onto the bus. "I couldn't believe how much you
had gone through until that man from Day magazine came to interview you—Stop that, Timmy. No, get on
the bus, the cat can't come—It must have been horrible for you."
"It was, but I hope you
don't think you and I are going to rest in New York with this crew." Teel
laughed.
Nancy screwed up her face. "I don't mind the
set, are we not, Mrs. Barrett?" the receptionist, who had introduced
herself as Mrs. Eldred, asked her smoothly, handing her the amended invoice
that Teel was to include with the return order of sweats.
"Ah, yes...I
guess so..." Teel looked blankly at the folded paper in her hand, then
stuffed it into her purse. "Ah... good-bye Mrs. Elfred." She peered
through the crack in the door out into the hallway. All clear.
"It's Eldred," the woman called
after her.
'What? Oh... whatever."
Teel jerked her head toward the woman, then scurried out into the hall to the
elevator. She held her breath until the doors opened on the next floor.
Two men entered, hardly
pausing in their conversation. "I tell you, Bert, the Old Man has gone
crazy. Max was downtown this morning and overheard the brass talking to him on
a ship-to-shore. Max said he was raging mad, that he chewed everybody's..."
The man glanced at Teel, who sensed his gaze though she kept her face averted.
"... tail about anything at all. Max heard Teller say he'd never known the
Old Man to have a tantrum... That's what he said—tantrum."
"What
happened on that damn cruise anyway?" the other mar. replied He should
have come back a happy man. He took those two high-flying models with him,
Clare Henry and Elise Burrell. He shouldn't be able to keep a smile off his
face."
The first man laughed,
throwing another quick glance at Teel. "How the hell do you know who was
with him?"
"Hey, when
Chazz Herman vacations on his yacht, the whole world knows who goes with
him." The two men chortled.
Teel didn't hear the rest of
the conversation for the roaring in her ears. She surged into the lobby when
the elevator doors opened and practically ran into the street.
Teel was so confused that she plunged pell-mell through the
door of a cab that had just disgorged its passengers in front of the building.
She gave the driver the address of her hotel. It was just three blocks away.
T he M ary D empsey School for Exceptional Children was a
beehive of activity. Teel found few calm moments in her day as the time
approached for the children to leave for the finals preceding the Special
Olympics. Nevertheless, she welcomed the constant preoccupation with work. She
was only happy when she went home reeling from fatigue and fell immediately
into bed. Only then could she avoid dreaming of Chazz. Only then could she
awaken without tears on her cheeks.
Her house had
always given her a quiet joy and a sense of peace. She'd decorated it with
potted plants against cream-colored walls and trim and cheerful blue, red and
cream braided rugs to compliment the stone fireplace. Now the place seemed a
veritable torture chamber. When she beat eggs to make an omelet for supper, she
saw Chazz's face in the swirling mixture. When she watched dramas on TV, she
saw him dashing through the air with athletic ease to rescue the damsel in
distress. It did no good to tell herself that the actor wasn't Chazz, that he
wasn't kissing the full-breasted blonde. She still writhed with jealous anger.
She considered talking to Alison James, the staff psychologist, but she
couldn't face discussing Chazz with anyone. So she buried herself in work. It
didn't solve the problem, but it helped.
Teel hadn't planned to
accompany the children to New York, but two days before departure one of the
coaches came down with the flu. Teel crossed her fingers that it wouldn't
spread to other teachers or the children and said she'd help chaperon.
"I'm so glad you're
going, Teel," Nancy Weil shouted over the heads of the noisy children she
and Teel were shepherding onto the bus. "I couldn't believe how much you
had gone through until that man from Day magazine came to interview you—Stop that, Timmy. No, get on
the bus, the cat can't come—It must have been horrible for you."
"It was, but I hope you
don't think you and I are going to rest in New York with this crew." Teel
laughed.
Nancy screwed up her face. "I don't mind the
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