Free Show, The by John A. Heldt Page B

including a few that had been opened, cluttered a space at her side.
    "Did you have a nice walk?"
    "I did," Grace answered. "It's such a beautiful evening. I just couldn't pass it up."
    "There's no need to explain yourself, dear. Lovely young women like you shouldn't be cooped up with boring old women like me."
    "You're not boring."
    "Oh, yes I am. But that's all right. I've had a long, not-so-boring life.
    Grace laughed.
    "Where did you go?" Penelope asked.
    "I walked around the neighborhood and ended up at the Mad Dog."
    "Please tell me you had an interesting encounter with a handsome man."
    "No," Grace said. "I had an interesting encounter with a pretty woman. She was very sad and needed some comfort. Her boyfriend had just left her."
    Penelope shook her head.
    "I've seen a lot of that through the years. Once the boys get their college degrees, they don't think they need the girls who have supported them. They head off into the big blue world for something better, but it's rarely better. Just more expensive."
    Grace laughed again. She wondered whether it were possible to bottle Penelope's wit and wisdom. It would probably fetch a fair price at market.
    "In any case, I think she's better. I told her that I had had a similar experience. I think misery really does like company. She was smiling when I left."
    "Good," Penelope said. "That's good. She'll be fine, just as I'm sure that you'll be fine. Women today are strong. They adapt better to setbacks. Have you had any luck tracking down your elusive young man?"
    "No. But I remain hopeful that I'll find him."
    Penelope smiled weakly and then frowned. She stirred her tea and pushed the paper aside.
    "I'm sure that you will. But that brings me to something I've been meaning to talk to you about for a few days."
    "What's that?" Grace asked.
    "Your future. My daughter and son-in-law will return on Wednesday and again be able to take care of most of my needs. But I want you to know that you're welcome to stay here as long as you wish. I want you to find your beau – or at least find a job and a place of your own."
    "Thank you. I think I'll find him soon, or at least something soon, but if I don't I'd be happy to stay here a little longer. I do enjoy your company, and I don't mind at all helping out. It's the least I can do for someone who's been so kind to me."
    Penelope smiled and grabbed Grace's hand.
    "Oh, I forgot to tell you that something came in the mail for you today. It's from the university library. It's right here."
    Penelope handed Grace a manila envelope. It was thick, as if stuffed full of papers.
    Grace's heart beat a little faster as she eyed the corner of the envelope and saw the name Jennifer Prescott written above the return address. The woman who had offered to help her had found something. The only question was what.
    Grace opened the envelope and removed several letter-size sheets of paper. She glanced first at a note Jennifer had written on library stationery.
    "Here is what I found," the librarian wrote. "Sorry I could not find more."
    Grace examined eight more sheets and frowned. They were photocopies of pages from local phone directories, a comprehensive listing of all the J. Smiths in the Puget Sound area. She had already covered this ground and had personally called all eleven of the listed Joel Smiths. None had admitted to breaking her heart or traveling through time in the past month.
    Grace quickly moved on to the next item, a copy of a lengthy obituary. When she reviewed its particulars, she closed her eyes and sank in her chair. Her best friend was dead. Virginia Gillette Jorgenson of Seattle had died in 1995 of lung cancer at age 75.
    Ginny had apparently blazed several trails as a newspaper reporter, editor, and publisher and won more than a dozen awards in her field. She had also belonged to four service organizations and left behind three children, eight grandchildren, and two great grandchildren.
    The newspaper had not seen fit to list the