Monday, December 18th, 1939
7:45 a.m.

"What do you think? Should I?" All Jack did was smile and reach for his toes. Carol stared at Jack for a good two minutes, and Jack stared back at her just as intently until he started giggling. "Why am I discussing this with you?" She knew it was completely accidental, Jack had no idea what she was talking about yet turned to look at the telephone table and peered at it without moving. "A very clear argument. You're very persuasive for a thirteen-month-old." Carol tickled his stomach, making him giggle again. He laughed and smiled, no doubt in anyone's mind that his Aunt Carol was his favorite member of the family. "I sense law school in your future with those skills."

Carol left Jack on the floor and stood to go to the telephone. She knew that Harrie's family was supposed to be in Boston that Christmas for their first holiday together in years. However in light of events, all that changed. Even though Carol had offered to have her come stay in Connecticut for the entire break, she declined coming down there at all, saying she just wanted to go to the movies, sleep, and catch up on reading, presumably what she need for exams coming up at the end of January. Perhaps she had just grown so accustomed to having Christmas to herself that Harrie didn't how else to respond. They did manage to agree that Carol would come up to Boston a few days before New Year's to spend some time together before returning to school.

Would it be too much though? She didn't want to be too clingy, but the thought of Harrie by herself when she really wasn't that far away to begin with...

Carol wouldn't want to be by herself for the holidays if she had no family. Without further hesitation, she picked up the receiver and dialed the operator to place the call. A minute later, the woman on the other end came back saying no one was answering.

"Could you please keep trying? I know she's there."

More waiting, until there was some commotion. Finally, Carol heard the phone pick up and the operator begin to speak, "Harriet Lovell, please. Greenwich, Connecticut calling." About thirty seconds later, Carol was pleased to hear a familiar, albeit groggy, voice on the other end, then the operator spoke one final time, "Go ahead, please."

"This is Miss Harriet Lovell of the Sleepy Lovells."

"Oh, is it now? This is Miss Carol Ross of the Wide Awake Rosses," she joked. "Please tell me you're good with children. Small ones." Carol held the receiver away from her as Harrie's laughter poured into her ear. "It's not funny." She heard a loud yawn and the all-too-familiar creaking of her four-poster bed. "Can you make it?"

"I - I went to sleep at six, but I can be on the next train toward New York in about an hour probably."

"Would you?" Before Harrie could reply, Carol continued, "Why on earth did you go to bed so late?"

"I had to finish reading Gone With the Wind so I can see it next week. It put me in a mood," Harrie answered, still sounding sleepy. "Fiddle-dee-dee, not that kind of mood. And quit your smiling, I can hear it over the phone. I'll be there this afternoon."

"See you soon, minette," Carol whispered. The last sound she heard before hanging up was Harrie jokingly meowing. She'd never let that one down.

"What's knittin', kitten?" Carol loudly asked as the train pulled away.

"You're a lost cause, you know that?" Harrie said as she walked down the train platform toward Carol and Jack. No one else disembarked at Riverside, especially not in the middle of the afternoon, and she had just managed to make it off the packed train in time with her bags.

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to small children."

"At that age, they're usually referred to as babies," Harrie remarked, now standing beside Carol and Jack. She leaned in, kissing Carol on the cheek, then kissing Jack on the forehead before returning to Carol to kiss her cheek for a second time. "You do realize I know next to nothing about children, child rearing, and development."

"You know a lot more about a wider array of topics than anyone I know."

"Small humans aren't one of those topics." Harrie looked at the little boy in Carol's arms, all bundled up in a wool coat and tiny cap with ear flaps tied around his chin. "Why are you alone with Jack in the first place?"

Carol balanced him on her hip as Harrie placed her bags at her feet. "My sister, my brother-in-law, the two older boys plus my grandmother went into the city and they are staying for the next two nights. Me, being the nice, thoughtful aunt that I am, or a total chump, offered to stay here with Jack because he hasn't been well. Not to mention, I really didn't want to stay in the city with them and share a room with my grandmother. My grandfather's home with me, but… no one in the family can seem to remember if he's good with small children and no one really wanted to ask him directly."

"So you've been alone with him for… "

"Seven hours"

"You phoned at eight this morning." Harrie looked at her watch. "It's now shortly after two. You lasted one hour."

Carol paused, then averted her eyes towards her car parked nearby, indicating with her head they should start walking over there. "I may have also told them that you would be here anyways to help out and that's why I could be left with him. I think it's more I don't trust myself."

"Oh, Carol, yes, you do. You've been around those three boys since each of them was born. You know just as well as your sister how to take care of them." Carol looked away again when she understood that Harrie had seen right through what she had done. She didn't seem upset; Carol knew her reaction now when Harrie was agitated by something, and in this case she was just amused. "You could have just been straight with me."

Jack gave a loud cry and Harrie reached over to diligently pat his back while Carol held him. He was quiet again and contentedly rested against Carol's shoulder. "I didn't want you to spend Christmas by yourself." Harrie opened her mouth, but Carol ignored her and raised her voice, despite Jack wiggling around at the noises. "You've spent the past - what? Five? Six? - Christmases alone, in that goddamn house, all shuttered up, all too eager to get back to whatever school you're at at the time." Harrie tried to hide her smile, loving whenever Carol got temperamental and passionate about what she was discussing.

"Maybe I wasn't eager to come down here for Christmas because I didn't want to get used to the idea of spending a holiday with someone I care about when I know I will have at least two, if not more, alone, ahead of me."

"I love you, so to hell with your self-preservation, and to hell with everything if I can't wake up in bed on Christmas morning with your legs all entwined with mine. It might not actually be possible because it's not as though we have the whole place to ourselves, but that's all I want when I know next year - next year you'll be there and I'll… . Without you."

Harrie ignored her comment, reaching down for her bags and beginning to walk toward the car. "Let's drop it for now and go home, okay?" Carol followed next to her, still balancing Jack who very happily had his arms wrapped around her neck. "He's a snuggly little thing, isn't he? Like a koala," Harrie noted, pointing with a raised suitcase to his grey jacket and small black hat with ear flaps.

"Yeah, I don't think his mother or father hold him a lot. His brothers were never like this. He's been practically attached at the hip since he got here."

Carol recalled how when they arrived, Jack gravitated towards her, always wanting to sit in her lap or put his arms around her, despite having had a fever and being cranky. He was still very good, and Carol didn't mind looking after him and keeping him away from his two rowdy older brothers. Of course, his mother and father were exhausted from the trip up, exhausted from dealing with three children, and with Jack being unwell, couldn't muster the strength to mind him, practically dumping him in Carol's lap. "Here," Elaine had barked not ten minutes after they arrived, "it'll be good practice for you when you marry that real estate fellow and have a few of your own." Biting her tongue and not wanting to get into it with her sister first thing, Carol said nothing, especially when she saw how excited Jack was to see her and instantly put his arms around her once in Carol's lap. "Try not to let him cling to you all the time. I don't know why he keeps doing that." For that comment alone, Carol made sure whenever Jack wanted to be held, she held him. Besides, they were perfectly able to muster the energy to go into the city though, Carol thought.

"The car keys are in my jacket pocket and the trunk is already unlocked if you'd like to drive us home."

Harrie placed her bags in the trunk, then walked over to the passenger's side door where Carol stood holding Jack. "He must think you're his own personal teddy bear. I do think I'm jealous of him." She reached into Carol's pocket to pull out the keys to drive them home, giving her another kiss on the cheek before opening the car door for them.

Before arriving home, they stopped at the butcher's to pick up a pot roast for that evening. One benefit to having Harrie there for the couple of nights while the others were away was having someone in the house who could actually cook a thing or two. Not that Harrie minded at all, especially when she had Carol there to wash, peel, cut, and prep things for her in that charmingly neat manner of hers. The one thing about cooking Harrie didn't know was what Jack could eat. Carol pointed to the small bowl next to her of parsnips and potatoes cut even smaller than those that would go into its own corner of the the roast pan.

As Carol alternated between taking bites of her own dinner and feeding Jack, she listened to her grandfather and Harrie joke with each other and talk about everything from her grandfather's love of reading to Harrie's chemical lab in her basement. They talked about travel, baseball, the places they'd seen abroad, the different foods they had eaten while in Brittany or the Highlands. Carol loved the way the two of them got along, passionate and jovial in their talk, such a contrast to how he had been during the summer when Harge dropped by for dinner, hardly muttering a word to him while her grandmother gushed over his presence, and totally different from how he was with Elaine and her husband as well. She watched the way the two of them spoke to one another, seeing both of them so happy and engaged. Carol was particularly pleased with Harrie, whom she could hardly take her eyes off, as she talked or simply sat listening to what her grandfather said. For a second time that day, Carol affirmed that she had down the right thing in having her spend the holidays with them, even if she did get her to come down from Boston in the most roundabout way.

Relaxing in the sitting room after dinner, Harrie put on the radio, Carol sat on the floor with Jack flipping through a book and softly talking, and her grandfather scanned the paper, occasionally reading aloud the headlines. Harrie silently watched to Carol and Jack together on the floor, winking at the two of them when Carol briefly looked up once to catch her eye.

"What are you two doing?"

"I'm showing him the color plates from one of my art books with a Christmas theme. I can't see my sister packed any books for him." Harrie craned her neck to see what artwork they were looking at. Jack briefly fussed and pointed at the picture, as though he was waiting for Carol to continue with her discussion. "So impatient!" she teased and pulled him tighter to her. She pointed to each animal in the picture and made a sound to accompany each one. "This is the Adoration of the Shepherds by Ghirlandaio. See? There's a donkey who looks like it's smiling, and a cow, and a little fluffy lamb."

"Donkeys don't smile," Harrie laughed.

Both Carol and Jack raised their heads at the sound of her laughter. "This one painted in 1485 does."

Harrie went over to sit behind them on the sofa, overlooking her shoulder down to the book. Harrie peered over, her eyes drawn to where Carol pointed at a furry, sweet-looking, smiling donkey. "Well, I'll be… "

Although she didn't turn to look at Harrie above her, Carol brushed her hand against the side of Harrie's leg that dangled down near her, letting her know she had heard her. She flipped the page where there was a wide two-page spread full of people and all varieties of animal. There was so much to take in with so many figures and creatures in every part of the painted area. Again, she pointed to all the different animals in the picture, identified them, and made their accompanying sounds.

When she got to the leopard sitting next to a boy on a horse, Carol turned to Harrie and asked what kind of sound a leopard made. "Didn't you see Bringing Up Baby?" Harrie asked. "It's an oversized kitty cat," she explained, then made a fierce roaring sound that startled Jack. He didn't cry, he only stared up at Harrie who smiled back at him, then promptly sneezed in her face. Carol patted down her pockets for a handkerchief, but before she could check her other pocket, Harrie waved one in front of her. "Never have I known you to have a handkerchief." She wiped Jack's nose as best she could, grateful that it didn't get all over Harrie, who certainly didn't need a cold at the start of their vacation.

"On that note, I think it's time for this one to get to bed," said Carol as she finished cleaning up Jack's nose and upper lip.

"Me too. It's been a long day." Carol pouted, wanting to spend the evening staying up late with Harrie, talking, hopefully having some time to themselves before bed. At a moment, she remembered how Harrie had no sleep the night before and had traveled all the way to Greenwich to be with her, made dinner, and still was able to sit around after their meal and be sociable. Before Carol could get up, Harrie walked in front of them and picked Jack up off the floor so Carol could easily stand. Just like Jack had been with Carol earlier, he happily wrapped his little arms around Harrie's neck and clung to her like a koala. "You don't have to come with me," Harrie began, "I can change him and get him into bed."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. We'll just say goodnight and head on up." Harrie walked over so Jack could get a hug and a kiss from his great-grandfather.

"No, no, let me go with you - " Carol kept insisting.

"Honestly, I've got him. It's no problem. Really."

Carol's grandfather finally looked up from his newspaper and watched the two of them fussing over Jack who was getting sleepier and sleepier, no doubt from spending the past hour looking at Carol's art books. "Goodnight, Miss Lovell. Get some rest! Tomorrow, we'll talk about why you think Ted Williams is the next all-star for the Red Sox."

"You're on! Thank you, Mr. Ross. Goodnight."

As Harrie, Jack, and Carol made their way to the sitting room door, her grandfather softly said,"Carol, could I have a word?"

"Sure, Grandpa." As Harrie turned back to look at her, Carol shrugged her shoulders and assured her that she'd be upstairs in a moment. She walked back into the sitting room, over toward her grandfather who still sat in his usual chair by the window. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes," he replied, "everything's just fine, Carol. Sit, please." Very hesitantly, Carol sat down in the chair across from her grandfather who leaned forward in his armchair. "I'm not sure if I'm the one who ought to be having this conversation with you or if it should be your grandmother or your sister, or your father even when he's out here again, but I will because they don't see what I see and I don't think they know you as I do." Her grandfather could see the look of panic in her eyes, and immediately raised his hands. "Now, now, you're not in any kind of trouble, my dear. Actually, I'm really glad it's just the two of us - and Miss Lovell, of course - these couple of days."

As Carol relaxed in her seat, it felt vaguely like being in an Andy Hardy movie whenever father and son would have one of their heart-to-heart moments. Except in this instance, at least her grandfather was considerably more fun that Judge Hardy ever would be. It felt strange: no one had ever sat down with her like this before, but at least if she had to have any kind of serious conversation, it was with her grandfather and not her grandmother, or even her sister.

"Now, you're almost halfway through your second year of college, kind of deciding now what you are really interested in and what you want to do with all that you're learning. Maybe, after four years, you want to stop there, maybe you want to go on to graduate school. Have you given any thought to what you want to do after you get your degree?"

Before Carol spoke, she took a deep breath and swallowed. Oh, this isn't nearly as bad a conversation as it could be, she thought, he's just curious about school. She could handle this sort of talk. Teachers has been asking her this for years whenever she talked about life after college, she had always been evading a direct answer here or there until she met Harrie. Only Harrie made her really think about it, and with good reason. "I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. I'm still undecided about graduate school or teaching. Or, I don't know, some other job I can do with a degree in history of art. Curator? Antiques?"

"Either way, I'm proud that you want to do something with it."

"Thank you, Grandpa."

Her grandfather then got up and took the seat directly next to her, still trying to be as calm as possible in talking to his granddaughter, whom he could see was still somewhat nervous. He couldn't even recall having had a similar conversation with his own son at that age. "How about getting married? Are you interested in getting married?"

Not this question, she thought.

Carol took a deep breath and slowly shook her head from side to side, indicating no. "I think... I think I have - things - I want to to do and… I don't see myself able to accomplish that if I am - tied - to a husband. At least for now."

It took a few seconds, but he nodded in agreement. "That's perfectly understandable, and I agree with you. You don't want to be in the midst of your coursework or engaged in an important work project, and suddenly find yourself expecting and have to give all of that up. I know I wouldn't want to do that, and I can't imagine, as a woman, having no choice but to make that sort of decision. I wouldn't want that for you, Carol. Not when you've worked this hard." Before continuing, he wrung his hands together and slapped his hands down on his knees. "Did you ever meet my sister, your Great Aunt Alice? I can't recall if you ever did with all those trips out to Washington when you were little."

Carol thought back, but couldn't recall ever meeting her Great Aunt Alice. Sure, she had heard of her and seen photos of her grandfather and his family throughout the house. No one talked much about her, no one pointed her out in the photos, and she certainly never visited on the Cape or came to Greenwich at any point she could remember. "No, I don't think I ever met her."

"My youngest sister Alice was a sweetheart: kind, thoughtful, pretty as hell with those blonde curls of hers. She went to one of those fancy finishing schools, not like where you and Elaine went, one where a girl just learned how to manage a house, play the piano, embroider, speak French and the like. Alice was smart - like you - and wanted to go to college, but my father, in all his stubbornness, forbid it. I remember after my first year of college, Alice asked for all of my old textbooks and reading lists so she could go through them, and did she! Every summer, I'd give her my books and she'd devour them. My father did let her go to school in Switzerland for a year though and, long story short, while there, she met Anne.

"Anne was from New Hampshire, college-educated, a real nice girl. When she got back from Switzerland, Alice kept bringing her around the house so often, I thought she was trying to get me to court her! This was all before I met your grandmother, mind you. It took a couple of visits to realize Anne didn't give a fig about me, it was Alice she was there for, and boy, was she awfully sweet on Alice, and Alice was just as sweet on her. Alice never said anything outright to anyone, but it was plain to me at least, and she knew that I understood and trusted me.

"A couple years after college, right before I got my first big promotion, Alice announced to everyone that she and Anne were taking up residence together. No one batted an eye that she was taking Anne as a companion and moving up to Portsmouth. Ladies did that back then, those with independent means like them. Of course, they didn't know Alice and Anne like I did, and they certainly didn't think they were anything more than two friends keeping house together. Little did they know!

"Alice was a force to be reckoned with, let me tell you. You two were one in the same as far as I'm concerned. You remind me so much of Alice, Carol. And Miss Lovell? She has that same disposition and passion as Anne from what I recollect. I want you to know that if you want to, well, follow Alice's example so-to-speak, you have my blessing. I'm not sure if that's what you kids do nowadays, but the choice is yours and I will back you up should you want to. Whatever you choose to do with your life and in your life, I know she'd have been mighty proud of you. She passed back around the time your mother did, so that'd be why the two of you never met."

Her heart pounded, and Carol was convinced it echoed throughout the room as she stared at her grandfather, wide-eyed and speechless. She could feel her cheeks slowly start to burn, probably becoming the deep shade of crimson they always became when she was intensely embarrassed. She crossed her legs again and sat back in the armchair, eyeing the box of cigarettes on the table next to her and looked back at her grandfather. "Would it be alright if I… ?"

"Go ahead."

Carol nervously took a cigarette out from the box, placing it between her fingers. Her hand shook, unable to steady it to flick the lighter. Luckily, her grandfather noticed and picked up the lighter to hold it out for her. She didn't really want a cigarette, but she was so nervous she couldn't resist. Before seeing Harrie, she'd have to shower and brush her teeth to dissipate the odor.

"I'm not upset, Carol. I've seen the way you look at Miss Lovell, and it's the same look I saw in Alice's eyes whenever she'd look at Anne all those years ago. I might have a foggy memory at times, but I remember how Alice looked at her. And it's the exact look I know I give your grandmother. So whatever you two do, whatever you two are to each other, that's your business and it stays that way.

"I like Miss Lovell. She's smart, she's witty, she's thoughtful, and there are no pretensions about her. You're good for each other. Of course, I benefit too because she plays cricket with me and is an excellent conversationalist." Carol finally broke a smile when he directly mentioned Harrie, then shakily took a puff of her cigarette. "I've seen the young men nowadays, just look at Elaine's husband: they are nothing to write home about. Or like that fellow, what's-his-name who came over last summer?"

"Harge?"

"Yes, Harge. He's not interested in what you got up here; he only wants one thing from a girl like you, Carol. Well, not just one thing, I should say. He's the kind of fellow who would show off your skills for his own benefit and advancement. Don't you think I remember how young men are from when I was your age? I would much rather see you content with Miss Lovell as your companion, having a career of your own, and being really, truly loved and appreciated for who you are, than married to someone like him."

Carol crossed her arms and didn't move a muscle. She wasn't sure if she felt relief or complete awkwardness over having this talk with her grandfather, and she could definitely tell that he was thinking the same thing. "Grandpa, I'm… I'm still working out what I want."

"Please know either way, whatever happens, I will be proud of you, Carol. All of this conversation? This stays between you and me, alright?"

Carol nodded then took another puff of her cigarette. "I appreciate you telling me about Great Aunt Alice. That makes me feel... better, I suppose."

"It's a changing world out there, and if the United States gets involved with what's going on, things are going to change all over again just like they did twenty years ago, whether anyone likes it or not. You're not Elaine, a former flapper with her three or four or however many children, I can't seem to remember; every time she's here, there's another child or one less child, it seems. What I'm saying is: I trust you."

After putting out her cigarette out in the ashtray that was already brimming over with ashes, Carol learned over and gave him a hug. "I love you, Grandpa."

"Now get going," he said. "Someone up there is waiting for you."

Carol bolted up the stairs, straight into the room where Jack was tucked in, and found Harrie sitting in a chair near the bed, dozing off with a soft light still on to illuminate the bedroom. Against Harrie's chest laid a copy of The Story of Ferdinand, still open to the last page she has been reading. Of course she'd be reading that to Jack, remembering a copy had been tucked away on a shelf in the room from one of the boys' previous visits. Carol placed a hand on her shoulder to gently rouse her. "Hi."

"Sorry, I fell asleep."

"Did Jack settle in alright?"

"He's good. I changed him, cuddled him while I told him a story - oh, I found a copy of Ferdinand on the bookshelf - and he went right to sleep." Harrie rubbed her eyes and scratched behind her ear. "I could go for some cuddling and sleeping," she wearily added as she closed the book in her lap.

Carol walked around to face Harrie, holding out her hands to help her stand. "Bed. Come on."

"I can sleep in here with Jack tonight, it's no problem… " Harrie vaguely motioned toward the adjacent bed, a large comfortable bed that had been theirs throughout the summer. When Elaine and her husband arrived, Carol gave up her usual bedroom so they could have the one with the larger bed and greater floor space for Jack's crib. The two boys slept in the room next door on the left and Carol slept in a smaller room to the right of her usual bedroom.

Carol immediately shook her head no. "Jack sleeps here - leave the door open - and we sleep next door. Unless you want to sleep on a couch downstairs." Carol tugged at Harrie's hands, pulling her towards the bedroom door and smiled. "Besides, I snore too much and it would wake him, and… my grandfather… knows. About me. Us."

Harrie stopped all movement, instantaneously releasing Carol's hands. "What? How?"

"No, it's okay," she said reaching for her hands again, assuring her everything was alright. "Apparently whenever I look at you it's a dead giveaway," Carol laughed. "He then went on to explain that… my Great Aunt Alice - his youngest sister - was supposedly a lot like me and lived with another woman in Portsmouth. You know, as 'companions' back in the day."

"I'm starting to think someone should scientifically study our families because it must be hereditary."

They both slowly turned back around to observe Jack sleeping in his crib, surrounded by pillows with a small blanket tucked under his chin. They then looked back at each other and silently laughed to themselves, shaking their heads as they left the room and turned the corner to where they were going to sleep.

"He said he'd rather see me take a companion than get married because he knows how I want to continue school or have a career."

"He's pretty swell, your Grandpa. Do I need to, I don't know, sit down and have a 'man-to-man' with him? Let him know that I have honorable intentions when it comes to you? That I'll have you home by eleven? That I'll marry you should you get pregnant?"

Carol swatted her arm. "He'd probably love that. And don't worry, he's on the other side of the house and down a floor, so he can't hear us."

"Yeah, but - "

"Trust me, he's beginning to get hard of hearing and forgetful about some things. He couldn't even remember how many kids Elaine has. To be fair though, he did just send me upstairs to you."

"He did?" Carol nodded her head. Harrie began pulling off her clothes as Carol sat on the edge of the bed, watching as each garment ended up on the floor. Carol liked seeing her wriggle around as she shimmied off her wool trousers and button-down shirt, finally pulling off her argyle socks. "Aren't you getting changed? Or, do you need… assistance?"

"I, um, had a couple cigarettes when I was talking to him. I was really nervous… I'm sorry."

"If any moment in the history of the world is most deserving of a cigarette, it's probably the one where a grandfather tells his granddaughter that his sister was - "

"I still can't fucking believe that," Carol reiterated as she stood to get her bathrobe. "Give me a few minutes to shower and I'll be all set. Would you keep an ear out for Jack?"

"Absolutely."

As soon as Carol left the room, Harrie pulled out her flannel pyjamas and put them on, then quickly jumped into bed to warm up. She turned off the heat, not concerned with warming the room when Carol would be back to warm the bed with her. Not five minutes later, she fell fast asleep, curled around Carol's pillow and snoring.

When she came back from the bathroom, Carol found her sleeping with the lights on and holding her pillow tightly. She pried the pillow from her hands before settling in beside her, placing Harrie's arm around her hip, and her own around Harrie's waist, just underneath her pyjama top to press against cool bare skin. Harrie stirred the moment she felt Carol's hand on her and gripped with her own to see where it was, finding it poised on her hip. Pleased, she pulled Carol toward her, muttering, "I love you so much," before falling back asleep.

Tuesday, December 19th, 1939
9:43 p.m.

"Pass."

"I'll pass," Harrie muttered. "And I'm hungry," she added as she placed her cards down on the table.

"You're always hungry," sighed Carol.

"I must agree with Miss Lovell. I'm hungry."

Harrie turned to Carol's grandfather and asked, "Sandwiches?"

"I'll go," Carol offered. "Ham or liverwurst?"

Her grandfather and Harrie eyed each other, waiting to see who could make up their minds first. "Ham and cheese with lots of mustard," he piped in.

"Same, please."

"Don't look at my cards." As Carol started to walk away, her grandfather and Harrie nodded to one another, pointing at the pile of face-down cards on the table. When she reached the door, she turned around and scurried back to the table to pick up her cards and placed them in her dress pocket. "On second thought… " She gave Harrie a disapproving look, then humorously scowled at her grandfather prior to leaving the room. He stood and walked to the bar, pouring himself a tumbler of Scotch.

He held up his glass, silently asking if Harrie wanted some. "No need for modesty, how much?"

"Double will do me fine."

He walked back over to hand Harrie her drink and place his on the table before going to open the nearest window only a crack as the room was getting stuffy from his cigar and the one cigarette Carol had smoked when they first started playing cards. "So, are you looking forward to heading out to California, Miss Lovell?"

"Yes, sir."

"Oh, enough of that 'sir' business. Call me Mr. Ross. Actually, just call me Harry when it's only the three of us." He winked at her as soon as he took his seat.

"Deal," she grinned, "but only if you call me Harrie too." They clinked glasses and each took a swig of Scotch.

"Deal," he answered. "Have you been out there before?"

"No, never been."

"My son - you know, Carol's father - lives out Seattle way. We've made the trip a few times when Carol was little, but not so much recently with her grandmother's health."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Will Carol be joining you?"

"Well, Mr. Ross - Harry - I don't know." She looked back toward the door Carol had exited from. "I've asked her to - I mean, I've said she could apply to graduate school out there or even get a job that way - if she wanted to. It's a big change. I don't necessarily want to… pressure her into something she doesn't want."

"It's up to her."

"Precisely. It's up to her," she repeated with a firm voice, "but I'd be less than honest if I didn't admit to you, or myself, that I would very much like her to join up with me after she graduates."

"A year-and-a-half is a long time, Harrie."

Harrie lowered her head, picking up her glass of Scotch. "It is." Just before the glass hit her lips, she added, "Luckily I'm a very patient person."

"Let's hope Carol is."

By the time Carol returned to the room ten minutes later carrying two plates of sandwiches, she caught sight of her grandfather sitting at the table with Harrie, throwing back a shot of Scotch while Harrie took a couple puffs from his cigar. Harrie incessantly coughed, tightly shutting her eyes and wrinkling up her face as she attempted to catch her breath, "Yeah, not for me either," she admitted as she passed the cigar back. As soon as she stopped hacking, Harrie reached for her Scotch and took a sip.

"A pipe, maybe?"

"No, I don't think I am meant for anything tobacco."

"What are you two doing?" exclaimed Carol.

Chiming in, her grandfather answered, "Harrie here asked what sort of business I was in before retirement, so I let her sample some of the local merchandise." Carol groaned, taking the tumbler of Scotch from Harrie's hand to drink the rest herself as to have an empty glass. She walked over to the bar and filled the glass with seltzer to bring back over to Harrie. "Apparently, she's never smoked a cigar before, or a pipe."

"Drink." She held out the glass which Harrie eagerly took and gulped down. "She's sensitive to smoke. When she's the one smoking, that is." Carol rubbed her back to soothe her, not caring that her grandfather was sitting there in front of them. It wasn't as though she would have done differently if Harrie wasn't who she was. "Harriet, you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay," Harrie stammered, admitting defeat by cigar.

"Grandpa was in the tobacco business; he still owns a bunch of acreage and drying sheds north of Hartford." Carol pressed the plate toward her. "Here, eat something," she said to Harrie. She then handed her grandfather the other plate and sat down across from them.

By the time they had gotten through half their sandwiches, Carol's grandfather sat up and wagged a finger in Carol's direction. "Before I forget… " He reached into his jacket to pull an envelope from his pocket. "Consider this an early Christmas present for you two."

Carol took the small envelope from him and carefully opened the flap to peer inside. She immediately shut it, looking back up at her grandfather with awe. "Grandpa, honestly. This… this is too much."

"What is it?"

Carol passed the envelope over to Harrie, who peered inside to inspect its contents herself. Enclosed were two train tickets, two crisp ten-dollar bills, and two tickets for the Friday night showing of Gone With the Wind at the Astor.

"I got those yesterday morning after I dropped everyone off in the city. I figured you'd need a break after minding Jack - and me - for a couple days. Plus it's not fair all the others got to go into town at Christmastime while you stayed at home, even if you did offer. When you mentioned Harrie was coming, I took the liberty of getting movie and train tickets for the pair of you. I know how much you've wanted to see it."

Carol stood to give her grandfather a hug. "Thank you, Grandpa."

"Now, that picture doesn't start until eight-fifteen and they advised that the runtime is about four hours with intermission, which means it won't be over until well after midnight. So there's some money in there for dinner and for you to stay over for Thursday and Friday or Friday and Saturday nights. Go do some Christmas shopping or whatever it is you girls do when you go to the city."

Without rising from the table, Harrie leaned over, balanced on two chair legs and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, so much, Harry."

"'Harry'?" Both her grandfather and Harrie nodded in reply to her, looking up and grinning.

Friday, December 22nd, 1939
8:08 p.m.

"Handkerchiefs?"

"I got two. Most importantly, do you?" asked Harrie.

"Three."

"Drinks?" Carol looked around their seats. "You didn't get a root beer or ginger ale?"

"Nah, just the flask of Bourbon in my purse that your grandfather gave me."

"Harriet, really."

"Just kidding." Harrie leaned over and whispered into her ear, "it's actually tucked into my garter, but you can reach under my skirt and help yourself whenever you'd like."

"Cheeky," she sighed as she pinched Harrie's arm.

"Your grandfather deserves a medal for getting us these tickets."

"He knew I've been waiting to see this since I read the book."

"Prime seats too."

"They should be. They were $2.20 a piece."

"For a movie? $2.20 for a movie?"

"Not just any movie, darling."

"Good thing they threw in a program then." Harrie shook her head and nudged Carol with her elbow. "In that case, help me pick out something really nice for him tomorrow, would you?"

"Then it sounds like a date at Frankenberg's first thing tomorrow morning."

Harrie paused to look at Carol, thinking to herself what an odd remark she had just made.

Saturday, December 23rd, 1939
1:05 a.m.

"Okay, there is some seriously questionable content in there, some dubious distortions of history."

"Put that aside for all of fifteen minutes," Carol laughed. She moved around the curved booth to sit to Harrie's right, eyeing the other occupants of the coffee shop as she placed herself exactly at her side, pressed against her as best she could. She pushed her coffee cup closer to her, then dropped her left hand into her lap. "What did you like?"

Harrie found it difficult to hide her smiles. "The music, the costumes, the sets, the visual effects, and, of course, Vivien Leigh. She made it for me. I love the character of Scarlett. Scarlett is this blend of all the impressive female characters we've seen over the past few months: Ninotchka, Kathy, Saunders, Judith… other Cathy… even Dorothy."

"How the hell does she not have top billing? She's Scarlett. Scarlett is the picture. The picture is about Scarlett." Carol said, picking up a half-eaten doughnut to dunk into the mug of coffee. "Vivien Leigh is stunning, so talented, so beautiful."

"Agreed." Harrie sat up straighter in the booth and grinned. "Perhaps it's the luminous eyes?"

"Mmm huh."

"Or… that she's English?"

"Mmm huh."

"Or maybe it's because… she's a brunette with shoulder-length hair."

"Mmm huh."

"Pretty sure she has dimples too."

"I'd say so."

"Say, Carol? You've got a type," Harrie snickered.

"What?"

Harrie reached for another doughnut, not elaborating, and doing her best to hide a smile. She took a bite without saying anything further, simply letting it sink in. When Carol realized it, her eyes widened and she looked up from her coffee mug at Harrie who was now visibly smiling and brushing her hair away from her face. All Carol could see was pure happiness next to her, cheerful dimples that all she wanted to do was kiss, over and over and over again.

"That may be so," she began and looked around, "but you are sexy and you're cute and you're mine."

"I'm yours? Well, in that case I - "

She suddenly stopped speaking, unable to continue with Carol's hand lazily crawling beneath her skirt, up her right thigh, inching toward the flask tucked beneath her garter. Wriggling it free, she teasingly dragged the cool metal around to her inner thigh, then continued down her leg until she reached the hem of her skirt where she was able to pull it up to her lap. Untwisting the top under the cover of the table, Carol glanced around once more to see if anyone was looking in their direction, but with it being after one in the morning and everyone in there weary and focused on sipping their coffees, no one minded the two occupants of the booth in the back corner. She poured a shot of Bourbon into her coffee as well as Harrie's and twisted the cap shut.

"Typically, you take a girl to dinner first before doing a thing like that."

"I did."

"And then take her on a date to, I dunno, the pictures?"

"Did that too."

"Then after said pictures, a chocolate soda or an egg cream?"

"Coffee and doughnuts because you love doughnuts more than an egg cream."

"Oh, well, in that case, why don't we wrap all this up and you can walk me to my hotel door, and seal up the whole evening with a peck on the cheek?" Harrie teased. She took a sip of her Bourbon-spiked coffee, grabbed the vanilla doughnut she had been eating and dipped it into the coffee. When she took a bite, Harrie moaned loud enough that one customer in the front of the coffee shop perked up a little.

"I plan on more than a peck on the cheek," she declared. "I expect you to invite me in so I can be the one to make you moan like that. Now finish that goddamn coffee."

Perhaps it was the double shot of Bourbon, but Harrie had never blushed so hard in her whole life and downed the rest of her coffee.