Cedar Woman (40 page)

It was
u
p
o
n
l
e
a
v
in
g
t
h
e
c
e
n
t
e
r
,
a
n
d beg
i
nn
i
n
g
t
h
eir wa
l
k
b
a
ck
t
o
t
h
e sou
t
h
e
n
d,
t
h
at Lena
n
o
ti
ced
t
h
e
s
i
gn
in
t
h
e
wi
n
dow
of
V
i
c
k
i’s,
a
s
m
all eate
r
y on
t
h
e west si
d
e
o
f H
i
gh
S
t
r
eet a
n
d
ju
st s
o
u
t
h
of
To
wn Street.

Le
n
a
s
u
g
g
ested t
h
at
t
h
ey
e
n
ter,
and Nic
k
ie,
always
rea
d
y
f
o
r
a sna
c
k,
readily
agre
e
d
.

The
ro
om was
na
r
r
o
w
with
a
n
eight-s
t
o
ol
c
o
unt
e
r
r
u
n
n
i
ng
alo
n
g
t
h
e n
o
rth wall.
Crack
e
d li
n
oleum lined
t
h
e
fl
o
o
r
in
a
bl
a
ck
a
n
d
white check
e
d
pat
t
e
r
n
.
T
a
b
l
es
f
o
r
f
o
ur
were
sc
att
ered
t
h
ro
u
gh
out
t
h
e
s
p
ac
e
,

t
h
eir va
r
n
ish
e
d
w
o
o
d
e
n
t
o
ps
s
carr
e
d f
r
om
m
any
y
ears
o
f u
s
e.

A
f
o
u
r-
b
u
rn
e
r
s
t
ove
b
u
tted
a
g
ainst
a
g
ri
d
d
l
e,
w
h
i
c
h
s
i
zzl
e
d
beneath a
large
black
bo
a
rd
upon
which,
s
c
r
a
tch
e
d
in
chalk,
the specials
for
the day
w
e
re
pres
e
n
ted,
t
h
e
standard foods
offered
each we
e
k
, and
t
h
e
prices.

The
restaurant
was
old,
but it
was
sp
otless.

Lena
st
u
d
i
e
d
t
h
e
m
enu.
T
h
e
blac
k
bo
ar
d
listed
sev
e
ral
d
r
inks
–
t
h
e usual: Coke,
Sprite, Ic
e
d
T
ea and
c
o
ffee.
A
c
h
alk
e
d
l
ine down
the
mi
dd
l
e
sep
a
ra
t
ed
t
h
e
b
e
v
e
ra
g
es
f
rom
t
h
e
f
o
o
d
s
a
v
ai
l
ab
l
e
f
o
r
t
h
at
da
y
.

Hot
d
o
g
s
a
n
d ha
m
bu
r
ger
s
,
e
g
g
s
a
n
d
wiches
a
n
d
var
i
o
u
s
s
o
u
p
s
w
e
re available.
Lena
sniff
e
d
the
air
a
nd
m
ade
t
h
e
quick
as
s
u
m
p
tion
t
h
at
t
h
e
s
o
u
p
s w
e
re
can
n
e
d
an
d
n
o
t
f
r
es
h
l
y
pr
ep
a
r
e
d
. H
e
r
inter
e
st
p
e
aked.

She decid
e
d
t
h
at she
w
ou
l
d
r
e
t
u
r
n on
Mo
nd
a
y and a
p
ply
f
o
r t
h
e j
o
b.

Vicki
C
o
m
p
t
o
n
m
oved
to
C
o
l
u
m
bus
up
on her
m
arriage
to
her hu
s
b
an
d
,
T.
J
.
Theirs was
a
h
appy
u
n
io
n
u
n
t
i
l h
i
s
death
a
few
y
ears
ba
c
k
. S
h
e
d
eci
d
e
d
to
k
eep
t
h
e resta
u
r
a
n
t
. T
h
e house was too
em
p
t
y wit
h
o
u
t
h
e
r hu
s
b
an
d
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
ex
t
e
n
d
e
d
ho
u
r
s
,
f
r
om prov
i
d
in
g
j
u
st
l
un
ch
,
t
o
l
un
c
h
a
n
d d
in
n
e
r
, gave
h
e
r
s
o
m
e
t
h
i
ng
t
o d
o
.