Cedar Woman (146 page)

Nickie.

Sonny
w
i
nced inw
a
rdly
at
the
pic
t
ure
o
f
h
e
r
t
h
at ca
m
e
to
his
m
ind’s eye: h
u
rt,
co
n
f
us
e
d
,
b
ro
k
en.

The
sc
e
n
e
pl
ay
ed
o
u
t
b
e
f
o
re him li
k
e
a
h
om
e
m
ovie
g
on
e
bad: his running
after
Nickie
as
she
fled
from
t
h
e
fu
n
eral
h
o
m
e;
N
i
c
k
ie
in
h
e
r
car

s
o
b
b
i
ng
;
Nic
k
i
e
o
p
e
n
i
n
g
t
h
e
d
oor
as
h
e
r
a
p
p
ed
on
t
h
e
w
i
n
d
ow,
sco
o
ting ov
e
r
for
him
to
e
n
ter
the
c
a
r,
her
f
ace
distorted
with
pain;
Sonny
dr
i
v
ing

her
h
o
m
e and hel
p
i
n
g h
e
r
i
n
t
o her ap
a
rt
m
ent.

I
s
h
ould
never have
gone
in,
he
s
c
old
e
d
hi
m
self,
fo
r
once
t
h
ro
u
g
h
t
h
e door,
s
h
e
was
in
his
ar
m
s.

S
o
nny re
m
e
m
b
er
e
d
l
o
ok
i
ng d
ow
n
u
p
o
n
h
e
r
as
t
h
ey lay on
t
h
e
fl
oo
r. Nickie’s
eyes
closed,
h
e
r
low
e
r
lip caught
betwe
e
n her
teeth,
tears f
lo
w
in
g
d
o
w
n
her
t
e
m
p
l
es
and
i
n
t
o
h
e
r
ha
i
r.
Mo
v
e
d,
and
d
r
i
v
e
n
b
y

co
m
p
assion,
a
nd
y
es
l
u
st,
he
had
t
o
ad
m
it,
he
m
ade
love
t
o
her
ri
g
h
t
t
h
ere

on h
e
r
a
n
tiq
ue,
b
ra
i
d
e
d
ru
g.

Later
S
on
n
y
m
ade
a
has
t
y
e
xit
,
hat
i
ng
h
i
m
self,
hat
in
g
w
h
a
t
he
kn
e
w he was
d
o
i
n
g
t
o N
i
ckie.

She didn’t understand,
an
d
the
look
of
hurt
and
an
gui
s
h
on
h
e
r
face w
o
uld
re
m
ain
in
his
m
e
m
o
ry
for
e
v
e
r.
She
all
o
wed
him
to
see
it
once,

wh
e
n
h
e
r
g
u
ar
d
was d
ow
n
,
b
u
t
only
o
n
ce.
It
m
ade
it
even
w
o
rse
f
o
r
him to
be
a
r.

It
to
o
k
s
o
m
e
t
i
me
for
So
nn
y
to
realize
t
h
at
t
h
ey
b
o
th
reacted
ou
t
of

grie
f
.
The d
e
ath of t
h
eir
f
r
i
en
d
s was
u
n
b
earable,
a
nd
s
o
m
ehow, t
h
ey need
e
d
to
cel
e
b
rate
life,
celebrate it in
t
h
e
m
o
st
p
r
i
m
al
way
po
ssible –
m
aking
l
o
ve.
B
u
t,
it
d
i
d
n
’t
m
ake
S
on
n
y
f
e
el
any
better
a
b
o
u
t
what
h
e
’d

d
o
ne,
a
nd de
f
initely had
n
o
t
eased
Nick
i
e’s
g
rief.
T
r
uth
to
tell,
it increas
e
d
it.

S
l
ow
ly
,
So
nny
ca
m
e
t
o
real
i
ze
t
h
at
N
i
ckie
l
ov
e
d
h
i
m
,
and
h
i
s
he
a
rt clench
e
d
an
e
w
at
t
h
e
k
no
w
ledg
e
.
He
co
uld
n
e
v
e
r
l
o
v
e
Nickie,
not
t
h
a
t wa
y
.
H
i
s
o
n
ly
love
wal
k
e
d
i
n
t
h
e
di
m
inuti
v
e
f
o
rm
of
2
3-y
ear-o
l
d
Lena

Cedar Wo
m
an, t
h
e wi
d
o
w
o
f his b
r
oth
e
r/c
ou
si
n
.