Chapter Twenty-Five

By the time Mitch digested my news and started to comment, I cut him off when I jerked up in my seat. I was certain I saw Allen under the big black umbrella that bobbed past the car window. There was only one way to be sure though.

"I'll be right back," I told Mitch as I crawled over him to the tune of a few oohs and aahs when my knee squeezed down on one of his inner thighs.

Water dripped from my hair, nose and clothes when I limped up to Allen's receptionist, who appeared to be tidying up her desk before calling it a day.

When she looked up at me, I almost expected her to offer the name and number of her hairdresser. But I didn't give her the chance. "He is here now, right?"

She nodded a yes, but forgot the polite smile that was supposed to go with the job. I headed for the closed door at the end of the narrow hallway. Or I should say, I steam dried myself as I motored toward that closed door. I didn't bother knocking once I arrived either. Proper manners were the last thing on my mind when I pushed open the door.

Allen was behind his polished oak desk, looking as if he was enjoying a telephone conversation. That is, until he looked up and made eye contact with me.

Before he could finish his "I'll have to call you back," my finger pushed in the telephone button and disconnected the call.

"I don't recall today's weather report including hurricane Fay in its forecast."

"Don't be cute with me, Allen."

"Clever maybe. But cute, I don't think so," he said with an arched, and professionally shaped dark eyebrow.

"Have you heard from Alicia?"

"I sent a check to the school this morning, Fay."

"You could have called and told me."

He sat taller, straightened his flashy tie, then looked up at me in a way I recognized immediately. I had seen that guilt-ridden look before.

"Maybe I wanted to see you. To tell you-"

For a moment there, I wanted to slide my arms around those familiar broad shoulders and tell him I understood. That I accepted his apology for walking away from the fairy tale life we had been leading. But when he told me it was over between him and Dana, and that he realized now he made a horrendous mistake with us, I went cold.

I think what happened was, I had a flashback of all the suffering his affair and the divorce had brought me. Some compassion had survived though, because I did say I was sorry for the breakup between him and young blondie, and that it was a shame it couldn't have happened before our divorce was finalized. Then I proceeded to pile on more bad news.

"Our daughter has gone off somewhere to get married."

"That's not funny, Fay."

"Do you see me laughing?"

Allen did the same thing I had done once he knew I wasn't joking around. He picked up the telephone and dialed her room number at school.

He got the same no answer that I had as well.

Then we spent the next hour or so huddled around his telephone calling Alicia's friends. We were looking for a clue to where our daughter might be. And just who it was she was about to commit the rest of her life to.

Regrettably, neither question got answered. It was news to everyone we spoke to that Alicia was seeing someone on a regular basis, let alone getting married.

We finally agreed there was no one left to call. Nothing left to do at the moment. We did discuss driving out to the college, but decided it would probably be a waste of time. It was highly unlikely the newlyweds would honeymoon in Alicia's dorm. All we could do was continue calling and hope she eventually picked up her phone. Or called home.

Allen offered to share his umbrella and walked me to my car. We said good-bye at the door with promises to keep each other posted over the weekend on any new developments.

When Allen started to reach for the door for me, I remembered Mitch and grabbed the handle first.