searching through an assortment of hoses, wiper blades, gas tank caps, visor clips, and Vote for Hubert Humphrey bumper stickers, they admitted defeat and piled everything back on the shelf. By then the old man had finished watching his ball game and turned off the television.
“You find anything?” he asked.
“Afraid not,” Tom said. “I guess we’ll have to call for a taxi and go into town to get a room for the night.”
“There’s no town. Cambridge is the closest, and it’s a good thirty miles.”
“Where is this?”
“Belmont County. This here’s farmland that belongs to the county.”
Looking more perplexed by the moment, Tom asked, “What about services? Shopping, restaurants, things like that?”
“You gotta go into Cambridge.”
“But how do you get into Cambridge?”
“You gotta drive, but seeing as how your car ain’t running I guess you’ll have to wait ’til Eddie gets here in the morning and fixes it.”
“Isn’t there any place to stay around here? Any place to get a bite to eat?”
“This is it. You get what you want from the grocery shelf and heat it up on the hotplate in the cabin.”
At that point Tom gave up. Turning to Margaret, he said, “Grab something we can have for dinner.” As she walked over to the grocery shelf, he pulled out his wallet. “How much for the two cabins?”
“Four dollars, but it’s just one cabin. That first one’s mine.”
Just as he started to say something more, Tom spotted Margaret coming back with an armful of cans and boxes.
“Okay, we’ll take it.” He handed the old man a 10-dollar bill, then turned and took the packages from Margaret.
“Wait outside,” he said. “I’ll be right out.”
Moments later, he followed her out, the bag of food in one hand and the room key in the other. “Let’s take this stuff back to your cabin and get you settled, and then I’ll get your suitcase from the car.”
Taking note of the weary look on his face, Margaret tried to lift his spirits.
“This isn’t all that bad,” she said. “We’ll rough it tonight and be back on the road tomorrow morning.” She told him they’d be picnicking on a gourmet meal of beans, Vienna sausages, saltines, cheese spread, and peanut butter. When his expression didn’t change, she smiled. “Don’t be such a worry wart. Everything is going to be just fine.”
“I hope so,” he said glumly. “I certainly hope so.”
The cabin had a tiny round table, a double bed, and a long dresser with a small television. The hotplate and everything else they’d need were beside the TV. Tom set the bag of groceries on the end of the dresser, returned to the car, and carried in Margaret’s suitcase.
Throughout the evening, he was relatively silent. After they’d snacked on what served as dinner and watched television for a while, Margaret said she was a bit tired and suggested they call it a night. Tom nodded at her and turned toward the door.
He’d hardly spoken a word all evening and not laughed once during The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. A worried look tugged the corners of his mouth down. Keeping her voice light, Margaret asked, “Just in case I need something, you are in the other cabin, aren’t you?”
Tom shook his head wearily. “The storekeeper lives there.”
“Then where are you going?”
“I’m gonna sleep in the car. It’s no big deal.”
“But you didn’t—”
“Maggie, I… We’ve spent a lot of time together, and I didn’t want you to think I’m pulling a fast one. So I’ll just sleep in the car. Nothing to worry about. I’ll be fine.”
Before she could say anything more, he was out the door. For a moment she stood wondering if she should go after him, say it was foolish for him to sleep in the car, and tell him to come back. She thought about what he said and how their friendship seemed to get stronger, sweeter, during the days they’d spent together.
Albert’s scowling face came to her mind just then.
Already? she could picture him saying. When I’ve not yet been gone a year?
Trying to push the jumble of thoughts from her head, Margaret washed her face, pulled on her cotton nightgown, and climbed into bed. As she lay there in the darkness, she pictured Tom trying to find a way to get comfortable in the cramped confines of the car. She knew such a thing was almost impossible for a man as tall as he was. She was a foot shorter, and even she couldn’t stretch out on the back seat. And