The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
M% @1 A%S% z|3E9@s

:::.::,::::..
heart. Will you see me out,
ISuzy?"
When they were standing at
the door Nicola turned to Ali
son. Twill you have breakfast
with me in the morning." She
mentioned a hotel and added,
Stop on your way to school. I
know about your business
course. Mornings are lonely
when you've been married and
awakened by the sound of an
electric razor and the smell of
spicy after shaving lotion.
Heavy shoes dropping on the
floor and a man selecting his
tie. I hate being alone morn
ings and all day Sunday"
"Wiu eight-fifteen be too ear
|ly?"
She laughed. "Even if it is,
I'll be awake"
"Goodby," Suzy said.
Spoken with spirit and final
ity. Goodby, Teresa's child.
And, Alison, ask for Miss Spsn-
Ger when you come tomorrow
morning. I've had other names
but I'm back at being Miss
spencer again. I won't wear a
mans name unless I can wear
it proudly and I won't be Mrs.
|So-and-So because I'm afraid
people will think I've never
been anybody's wife"
1t was strange to be going
to have breakfast. with Nicola
Spencer, Alison thought the
next morning, as she walked
along the busy, downtown
street. With few exceptions she
had SO concerned to a certain
pattern of living since coming
to Washington that any disrup-
tons Of the usual set her queer
ly on edge. But Nicola was the
sort of person to disdain any
orthodox design for living. Kitty
would have liked Nicola for h r
glitter and for her honesty.
When last night she had told
Teresa that Nicola had stopped
in, Teresa had seemingly grown
taller by seconds. "What did
she want?" she had demanded.
"She just wanted to see us, I
suppose, Suzy and me. She
hadn't seen me for several
years and she'd never seen
Suzy at all. She was in the
neighborhood and stopped in"
Teresa had seemed to shrink
momentarily. Suzy had added,
"She wore a pretty dress" Ali
son had not mentioned the
breakfast. date. 1t had been on
the tip of her tongue and yet
at some inexplicable signal she
had refrained.
She told herself now, brush
ing shoulders with those on
their way to work, that the fact
that she had not told Teresa
made the date assume proper
tons far beyond its Importance.
Impulsively, she was sure, Mic
ola had stopped in and asked
her to breakfast because Nicola
liked company in the morning,
someone to talk to, someone to
listen. Nicola was gregarious. It
was even possible she had
asked other people and included
her, Alison, only because Edna
and Philip were fond of her. In
that case, she thought, she
would have 4 quick breakfast
and soon be on her way to
school. That's all there was to
it. It wouldn't change anything
-. It wouldn't make her live
in Sans heart -.
The hotel was small, select,
the lobby dim and quiet as her
hatless, youthful, gray-coated
figure went to the house tele-
phone and asked for Miss Spen-
Ger. But as she waited for the
connection her hand trembled.
A premonition Of some sort as
if the invitation had not been
tossed at her like a ball in play.
She felt queer, as if this weren't
Washington at all. but some
place, far away and she was a
stranger waiting momentous
events. u.
But wasn't it only breakfast
with Nicola, a casual thing, and
in an hour wouldn't she
be opening her pad for dicta-
ton?
"This is Alison"
Nicolas brief, husky laugh
came back.
Good morning, dear. Come
right up" She sounded wide
awake.
Nicola led the way into her
sitting room. She wore a bed
jacket that looked like pink
soap bubbles over navy loung-