SCENE 7
It was getting late, but David Collins was still awake. He didn't want to go to sleep. If he did, he knew the dreams would come. The dreams scared him; they seemed to be some kind of warning, but he didn't understand them. And that painting. Somehow he had known it would be there when he went to his father's room. As if something had led him to it. He didn't know what to make of it all.
His father was working late, so he was able to stay up with impunity, as long as he avoided Mrs. Johnson. The boy was heading to the kitchen when he heard the front door open. His father came in, an overcoat on against the chill night air. "David," he said sternly when he saw his son, "You should be in bed; it's past your bedtime, you know."
"Do I have to?" David complained. "I'm not tired yet." He certainly didn't want to tell his father he was afraid; he wouldn't understand.
"Yes, you do, young man. Miss Winters will be very upset if you fall asleep during your lessons tomorrow. Now, off you go. March."
David was about to continue arguing, but the front door opened again. Both of them turned to see who it was.
"Roger, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you - David!" she exclaimed when she saw the boy. "I didn't expect you to be up still, but I'm so glad to see you."
"David was just going to bed," Roger said, looking at him pointedly.
"Surely he can stay up a few minutes longer to spend some time with his mother," Laura gushed.
"No," David said sharply. "I have to go to bed." He practically ran away from her up the stairs.
Laura sighed. "Things are improving." She turned to Roger. "It took him a full thirty seconds before he bolted this time."
Roger wanted to put his arms around her, comfort her, but he knew it was forbidden. She had made that quite clear by asking for a divorce. He contented himself by saying, "Don't worry. He'll come around." He turned away from her and tried to be flippant to hide the feeling in his eyes. "In the meantime, you'll have to come around at bedtime more often. I've never been able to get him to bed so easily."
Now Laura turned away, upset. "Stop it, Roger. I feel bad enough."
He came up behind her, trying to work up the courage to touch her, let her know he cared, when the phone rang. He took the easy way out and answered it. "Hello?" he said into the phone, as Laura turned to watch him.
Roger didn't say much, but his face went grim. He must not have liked what he was hearing. After only a few seconds, he said, "I'll be right there," and hung up the phone.
"Is everything all right, Roger?" Laura asked.
"I don't know," he said distractedly. Then he came back to himself. "I need to go out," he told her. "We'll have to talk later."
He was out the front door before she could respond.
SCENE 8
Jeff and Carolyn were still at the Blue Whale, talking. Every now and again, Jeff looked up to see Maggie keeping a discreet eye on them, but their conversation had been completely innocent. Besides, the bar was beginning to get more crowded, so Maggie was getting busy.
Carolyn laughed at a remark Jeff had just made. "You know, Jeff, the more we talk, the more it becomes obvious that you and Joe Haskell are very different people. You're much more quiet, more of a gentleman." She backpedaled quickly, in case Jeff got the wrong idea. "Not that Joe wasn't friendly and polite, but you seem so…old-fashioned." She giggled. "In fact, you're almost courtly."
Jeff smiled depreciatingly. "Am I really that out of it?"
"No, not at all. I think it's wonderful. It's very refreshing to see in this day and age." She took a drink of the soda Maggie had brought her. "You remind me of my cousin Barnabas, except that Barnabas is so serious about everything. I don't think I've ever seen him laugh."
A grin broke over Jeff's face. "People are always saying that about Barnabas. They don't realize the responsibility of being the eldest son of the Collins family. His younger brother has it much easier." He stopped as he saw Carolyn looking at him oddly.
"Barnabas doesn't have a brother. And he hardly has any responsibility to the family. He's only a distant relative. What are you talking about, Jeff?"
He put his hand to his head. He started to feel slightly dizzy. Strange, fleeting images ran through his mind, then quickly disappeared. "I don't know," he said, puzzled. "I have no idea why I just said that."
