The rain tapped on my window, reminding me that I wasn’t completely alone.
I was lying on my bed late in the afternoon, trying to get some sleep since I hadn’t gotten much the night before with Emmaline sleeping over. We sneaked downstairs a little after midnight to do each other’s hair while we listened to the radio, keeping the volume so low we could barely hear it. Then we baked and ate cookies, quietly, before we went back upstairs to my room and stayed awake talking for at least another hour. But for some reason, sleep just couldn’t seem to find its way to me now.
So I got up and opened my window just enough to hold my hands out so the rain could wash over them. The sound of rain instantly became louder.
Hayden had driven his father’s car over to pick up Emmaline twenty something minutes before and I’d been lying in bed ever since, unable to do anything other than think about Mason. It was the first time since I found his letter that I had been able to stop and think about it, and it was beginning to get depressing. What if Mason did decide to move back to Shilling with his father? His home was there. His friends were there. Our relationship could continue, but it wouldn’t be the same. It would be more like it was now, a lot of waiting…wondering…worrying...
I looked at my hands and watched the clear streams of water snaking their way unevenly over my skin and dripping off of my fingernails. The freezing water was beginning to hurt, but I didn’t feel like pulling them back in. I didn’t really feel like doing much of anything, not until Mason came back and cleared everything up.
The phone in the hallway rang. Probably another one of Mother’s friends, calling to hear more about Sydney Algoth’s son. The newspaper article had been fueling her gossiping nature for two days now. I pulled my hands in and closed my window as the ringing stopped.
A car just like the one I saw driving out of Swatches the first time I went there to see Mason drove by. I wondered if I talked Benny into giving Mason his job back if he would be more likely to stay in Chicago. But would that be selfish? And would he even take the job after what Benny had done? I really didn’t want to go see Benny, but I would do it if it might keep Mason there. If he didn’t want to stay, I wouldn’t try to make him, but it couldn’t hurt to try and get him his job back.
“Alexandra,” my mother called from downstairs. “The phone’s for you.” Hope began to creep in as I pictured Mason calling from a train station somewhere.
“Who is it?” I asked as I ran down the stairs to the little table at the bottom of them.
“Hayden.” That glimmer of hope died.
“Is he calling from the theater?”
My mother nodded and handed me the phone. “He said it’s nothing to worry about. He just forgot to tell you something when he was picking Emmaline up.”
“Hello?” I said, pressing the earpiece to my ear.
“Alexandra? I’m calling because we heard a couple standing in line in front of us talking about how Sydney Algoth would be on the radio with his son Friday evening and it reminded me that there was something I needed to tell you. It’s better said sooner than later.”
“Mason’s going to be on the radio Friday? But the train couldn’t have reached New York yet.”
“Yes, but it will probably get there before the radio show.”
“How could they know Mason was coming?”
Katy walked down the stairs muttering something about the stupid rain.
“I don’t know. I suppose he must have gotten a message to his father somehow. But that’s not why I called. I wanted to let you know that I went to the police station this morning and dropped the charges I had against him. I still don’t care much for Mason, but I can see now that he’s not a threat to you. I hope you know that was what it was always about, protecting you.”
I could see how he could have thought he was protecting me, in his own way. “Thank you for doing that, Hayden. Do you know what time he’ll be on the radio?”
“I think they said five o’clock. Do you want to come listen to it at my house?”
“No, my parents and Katy will want to listen to it, so I’ll probably stay here with them. You could come over here, though, and stay for dinner afterward.”
“All right.”
“Listen, I know you need to get to your movie, but I was wondering if you would go somewhere with me tomorrow.”
“Sure, where do you want to go?”
“I need to go to Swatches, but I really don’t want to go alone.”
“Why do you need to go there?”
“I was hoping I could get Mason his job back, but don’t say anything to Emmaline about it, okay?” The less she had to hear or think about Benny, the better.
“I won’t say anything, but are you sure you want to go see that Benny character? The more I hear about him, the less I like him.”
“I don’t like him very much, either, but I want to do this for Mason. It’s all right if you don’t want to come.”
“No, I’m coming with you. I don’t want you going over there alone. I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.”
“Thank you, Hayden. Just come over tomorrow whenever you want.”
“I’ll come by in the morning sometime.”
“Bye.”
I set the telephone down and headed to the kitchen, where I knew I would find my mother and Katy. I couldn’t wait to give them the good news.