Ch. 25
Laurie walked into the kitchen and was greeted by the smell of eggs cooking.
"Hi Dad," she said, giving Blake an amused smile.
"Hey," he said, looking rather comical with a spatula in one hand and cigar in the other. "Want some eggs?"
"Why not?" shrugged Laurie, sitting down at the table.
Laurie looked at her hands, trying not to think too much about the night before. Rorschach had finally come to see her, but the reunion had been anti-climactic, to say the least. She was starting to have mixed feelings about her friend. She was sure that she liked him in more ways than one, but now she wondered about him and the way he seemed to be pushing her away. At the same time, though, he seemed to desperately want to draw her in. Was this what it was like to be strung along? She almost asked her dad, but she decided against it. Maybe later.
Blake set a plate down in front of her. It seemed that he had made accompaniments for the eggs this morning.
"Wow, is this a special occasion?" asked Laurie.
Blake shrugged, winked, and went to get the newspaper. Laurie started to eat, looking up at her dad as he came in with the paper open, face buried in it. She looked down and noticed a note on the table. She ignored it and resumed eating, but she stopped when she realized how familiar it looked.
Laurie picked up the piece of paper, turning it around in her fingers. Her name and number was written on it. She paused, not even chewing as she sat, frozen with her eyes fixed on the note. She looked on the back -- blank. She looked at the front again. Her name and number -- still there. Why on earth?
"Dad?" asked Laurie, swallowing nervously. "Dad?"
"Yes, yes?" asked Blake, looking at her.
"Did you write this note?"
Blake leaned over to look at it.
"No," he said, turning back to his paper. "I found it on the kitchen floor this morning -- thought it was yours, so I put it on the table."
Blake walked into the living room, paying no attention to the way his daughter was gawking at him. She thought he had a smile on his face. Laurie looked at the paper again. It was the same piece of paper she had given to the assistant at the dress-shop, she was sure of it. She knew she couldn't have somehow taken the note back by accident. Besides, it had been days since that...
Laurie cleared her throat and put her face in her hands. She looked at the note again afterwards.
Either Rorschach had come across the note and... had what, dropped it? No, he had meant for her to find it. Either Rorschach had gotten the note from Walter, or he was Walter. She was so certain that they were the same person that it took a while for her mind to wrap around the fact. Why hadn't see noticed it before? She had seen Rorschach's mouth, hadn't she? Why hadn't she recognized it?
Because -- who could make the connection? It was such an insane idea. Walter was Rorschach?
Laurie stood up suddenly. She went to the mirror and looked at herself, straightening her hair before she grabbed her purse and keys.
"I'm going outside," she told her dad. He nodded absent-mindedly as she rushed out the door.
Laurie's heart was racing by the time she got to the dress shop. She stopped half a block short of it and turned around and started to walk back from where she came from before she stopped herself. She held out her hands as if trying to calm her own jitters and turned again and walked back and into the small store. She saw the assistant, Rebecca, talking to an old woman in a flower hat. She saw Mr. Greer counting money into a till. Then she saw Walter, whose head was down in concentration as he threaded a needle. He looked up and his eyes flashed in recognition.
Laurie walked over to the counter, nervous. If Walter was Rorschach, after all, why did she feel this way? She had known him for a few years now. They both knew how the other worked. They knew how to talk to each other, and most of all, they were comfortable around each other. What changed the dynamics so much that seeing Rorschach out of costume made it so different? She had seen Dan out of his Nite Owl II outfit, and she didn't feel different about him at all. She hated him whether or not he was in costume.
Laurie hovered for a moment before she finally approached Walter. He had been watching her silently, and seemed to straighten a little when she came up to him. His eyes were warm with a hint of a smile that accompanied the one on his lips. Laurie looked at his mouth and confirmed that it was him. It seemed so obvious now.
"It is you, isn't it?" she asked him in a near whisper, as if somehow the others would hear and know what she was referring to.
"Yes," he said to her in a soft voice she barely recognized.
Laurie had to wipe tears from her eyes as she tried to step back and give Walter an assessing look. His head was slightly inclined in an almost submissive gesture that made him look endearing. Laurie couldn't help but rush around and behind the counter to hug him. His hands clasped her shoulder blades as if he didn't know what to do with her.
Laurie heard a giggle and looked up to realize Rebecca and Mr. Greer were watching them. Embarrassed, she stepped to the correct side of the counter again.
"I'm sorry," she said to Walter.
"It's all right," he said to her. The light freckles on his face vanished as he blushed furiously. Laurie gave him an adoring look.
"When do you get off of work?" she asked him. "Or leave the shop?"
"I need to deliver some garments later this afternoon."
"I'll go with you."
Walter smiled.
"It's not until two."
"Then I'll wait."
His smile was even wider now.
"All right," he said, in a clipped tone. "You do that."
"Don't pretend I'm ridiculous -- you like it."
Walter looked directly at her then.
"Yes," he told her.
Laurie left the shop and returned after what seemed like forever. She had impatiently patrolled the block a few thousand times while waiting for the hours to go by. She came back to find Walter waiting for her. He had a garment cart with him. They set out down the street, silent as he wheeled the cart along while she followed him.
"Walter, how come you never told me before?" she asked him after a while.
"Don't know," he said to her.
Laurie knew better than to interject, so she waited patiently for him to come around. She had just about given up before he finally spoke again.
'It's hard to explain," he told her, finally.
Laurie looked at Walter, who was gazing at her sideways. His eyes looked very blue in the sun, and his hair very red. Laurie smiled at him, and was pleased when he shyly smiled back. She came closer to take his arm, and he drew in a breath as if she had done so much more. His eyes lowered to look at their locked arms before he raised them again to look at her. She noticed how his gaze lingered on her mouth and wanted to kiss him.
Laurie looked around. They were in the middle of the street. She didn't mind, but she didn't want to alarm Walter. They continued to walk until Walter moved his arm to exchange it with her hand in his. His hand was warm and he ran his thumb across the back of her hand in a familiar gesture that made her shiver this time. They stopped walking and gazed at each other for a long moment.
"Delivery," said Walter, snapping himself out of his trance and blushing again.
They made their way across the city and into the fabric district. Laurie politely waited outside as Walter dropped off the fabric cart and came out wiping his hands. He paused to look at her with an impish smile.
"What?" she asked him, playfully.
"Nothing," he said, though he seemed quite amused now. He took her hand with more authority this time, and she liked it. Laurie bumped him with her hip, and they laughed a little.
"Are you going out tonight?" he asked her in a strangely teasing tone that made her raise her eyebrow at him.
"Well, if you ask me like that," she told him, marveling at how surreal this all was.
"Good."
"So what are we going after tonight? More of Ozymandias' Agent Orange murders?"
"No -- Underboss."
"Oh." Laurie was surprised. After all this time, she had completely forgotten about Underboss.
"You sound disappointed."
"Well, I didn't remember he existed."
"Me too."
Walter smiled at her again. He leaned closer as if to kiss her, but he didn't. They crossed the street, and he looked both sides, but then in other directions as well. Laurie realized he was searching to see if there were people around.
"Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?" she asked him.
"No," he said. Then he gave her a quick kiss as if in apology. Laurie was surprised.
They walked in silence for a moment.
"Have you ever read Hollis Mason's book, Walter?" asked Laurie, suddenly.
"Yes," he said, nodding.
"Did you read about my parents? Well, I mean the--..."
"Yes." He gave her a sad look.
"You never told me," she said, voice quiet.
"Thought you shouldn't know."
"I guess I would rather I hadn't known. My mother made a point to tell me, though -- in the street no less, in front of my father."
Walter winced a little but said nothing. His grip on her hand tightened briefly.
"I'd been wondering if I was being disrespectful to my mother for going back to my dad. I know he's done bad things -- does bad things to people sometimes, even. But he's only been good to me, and he's also the only dad I have. He wasn't in my life up until recently, and he's important to me. I feel like if I give in and go back to my mother we won't have a proper relationship and I'll lose my dad again, you know?"
Walter looked at her and in his eyes conveyed a whole mix of emotions -- pain, sadness, longing, and even intrigue. Laurie paused for a moment to watch him, fascinated. They continued on without another word.
"So, are you ever going to show me where you live, Walter?" Laurie asked after a while.
"No," he said, in that curt manner he always did, but he looked at her and his eyes were smiling. Laurie marveled at how different their conversations were when she could see the subtleties of his facial expressions. He was quite emotive.
"Why not?" she asked, giving him a coy look. He looked taken back and faltered.
"Nothing for you to see," he told her. He seemed to look almost reproachful.
"I think I should know where I'm going to be living eventually," she joked. Walter gave her such a shocked expression that she sorely regretted opening her mouth until he kissed her with such force she staggered a little when he pulled away.
Laurie gaped at Walter, astonished. He was looking elsewhere and pretending that nothing had happened. A small smile played on his lips, however. Laurie looked down and blushed.
"I need to go back to work," Walter told her. She was surprised to find that they had arrived back at the dress shop. She looked around at the crowds of people walking past and briefly wondered if they had kissed in view of all of them. She turned to Walter and wanted to ask but couldn't find a way to formulate her question. She nodded instead.
"I'll see you tonight," she told him. She hesitated for a moment, but decided to lean in to hug him. He sank into her embrace. Laurie ran her hand over his head afterwards. She had lost the ability to say anything else, and it seemed he had too.
Laurie watched Walter as he briskly walked back to work. He turned and waved at her before he went inside. Laurie waved to him even after he had vanished from sight.
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To be continued...