Free Women Drinking Benedictine by Sharon Dilworth Page B

me?”
    â€œI’m not spying on you.” The conversation has taken an odd turn, and his anger upsets her. She has no idea how to make herself desirable to this man she wants so desperately.
    â€œWhat would you call it? Keeping watch on my house?”
    â€œI wasn’t watching your house.” Carol can feel the perspiration dripping from the backs of her knees onto her calves. She remembers the night in the bathroom, but knows that it would have been impossible for Mitch to see her. “I was reading the newspaper on the porch.”
    â€œAt six o’clock in the morning? You were out there at six o’clock in the morning?”
    â€œI was up. I wanted to be outside before it got too hot.” Her story is true, but her tone is defensive. She shakes her head as if she can physically get rid of this feeling that she has done something wrong.
    They are two blocks from home when Carol apologizes. “I’m sorry I upset you.” She is not used to admitting that she is wrong, and her words sound awkward.
    Mitch nods. “It’s me. I’m just hot. Tired, too. Tired of being hot, I guess.”
    â€œMe too,” Carol agrees.
    â€œHey. I’m off the hook for next Thursday.” Mitch turns down the radio.
    â€œYou quit the program?” Carol tries to rid her voice of the tension she feels.
    â€œNo, no,” Mitch says. “Kevin got sponsored for camp.” “He’s going to camp?”
    â€œA CYO camp up in Port Huron,” Mitch says. “Right on the lake.”
    Mitch pulls into his driveway but does not shut off the motor. They talk in the cool of the air-conditioned car. “I don’t know what Kevin’s going to do in the wilderness. He doesn’t seem the type to go into sports or swimming or anything like that.”
    â€œThat’s great,” Carol says. In the side mirror she sees their neighbor, Mr. Schott, and his son playing catch. Their shadowy figures move slowly in the fading light.
    â€œI don’t know how I’m going to live without my heavy metal video fix,” Mitch laughs.
    â€œWon’t the program want you to take care of another little brother?”
    â€œThe kids aren’t interchangeable,” Mitch explains. “It’s not like we’re baby-sitters.”
    â€œI know that,” Carol says. “I just thought they might have someone else who needs a big brother.”
    â€œThe idea is to form a bond with your little brother,” Mitch says. “Not to overload us.”
    â€œDonald asked me to do him a favor,” Carol says. She had not planned on telling Mitch about Donald’s request, but she wants to show him she understands the role of a volunteer worker as much as he does.
    â€œWhat kind of favor?”
    â€œI guess his wife was in some financial trouble before she killed herself. She wrote a few bad checks that Donald can’t make good on right now.”
    â€œIs that why she did it?”
    â€œDonald didn’t say that,” Carol says. “There’s this one beautician who keeps calling the house and asking for his wife. Donald can’t bring himself to tell the woman that his wife is dead. He asked me to go to the beauty shop and talk to her.”
    â€œAnd you’re going to do it?” Mitch asks.
    â€œI think so.” Carol nods even though until this moment she had not planned on carrying out the favor. She had told Donald she was in the middle of a busy work week and that she’d let him know.
    â€œYou’ll have to let me know what happens,” Mitch says.
    Now Carol has no choice. She must call Donald and tell him that she’ll go through with the favor.
    â€œBe careful.” Mitch turns the key and they get out of the car. “You know how goofy people can be about money.”
    â€œThanks.” Carol is touched by his warning. She invites him over for a beer. Mitch suggests another night.
    Carol’s