Love Letters From the Grave(46)
He watched her now as she met his children, her hand across her chest as she smiled wistfully at three-year old Detty and the twins who were now a year old.
‘Are you hoping for a boy so that you have two of each?’ she asked Muriel carefully.
‘Boy, girl, I don’t really care. I’m just hoping for it to be over soon,’ said Muriel, forcing a laugh. ‘I can’t wait to be able to fit into a dress like yours, Molly. It’s simply divine!’
‘Thank you, Muriel. And thank you again for having us here, it really is kind of you.’
Muriel shooed her mother and the children out of the room. ‘It’s my pleasure, believe me. An evening having fun with friends and no children around – why, it’s exactly what someone my age should be doing!’
Charlie exchanged helpless glances with Molly, as Muriel passed around the drinks and George dealt out the cards, and in that moment, he knew that she felt exactly the same way. Her expression said it all: that she’d be delighted to be here in this happy home with Charlie, sitting quietly with a child or two on their laps and talking as the setting sun disappeared over the horizon. She had no more wish to be gallivanting around to exotic places with George than he desired to be out jiving with Muriel and her friends. This was perfect – playing cards, wonderful conversation, loving family around. Perfect. Or at least it would be, if it was just the two of them.
And Charlie knew that the next time they met, it had to be just that. The two of them, alone together. The evening passed pleasantly enough, but all it did for Charlie was increase his passion for Molly, because he could see what they could have together, and it wasn’t what they had right now. Not unhappily married, but not truly happy either. And what was life about, if it wasn’t about being happy? He felt terrible for being in the slightest bit untrue to Muriel, and knew that Molly felt the same way too, but he had to see where this was going. He had to find out more.
The next note he passed to Molly was inviting her to go to a highly-advertised John Wayne movie with him the following weekend.
She appeared at the stock room window, checking that Danny wasn’t there before waving the note at him. ‘Do you mean with George and Muriel?’
‘No.’ Charlie chose his words carefully, remembering what his overt honesty had achieved before. ‘No, I mean the two of us, on our own, at the movies like … like sweethearts.’
Molly sighed. ‘I don’t know, Charlie. I think if we take our spouses we can at least pretend that we don’t have these feelings for each other.’
‘I don’t want to pretend,’ said Charlie simply.
‘I’ll think about it.’ Molly said it in such a way that Charlie knew she meant she’d be thinking about everything, not just the movie – where this was headed, how she felt about him, all of it. Because now she’d admitted it. She did have feelings for him.
‘I’ll only go if George doesn’t need me, or have plans for the two of us.’
It was sweet, really, that she still put George first. ‘I understand,’ said Charlie, and he truly did.
As it turned out, George had scheduled some work at the plant so Molly could get away. They met outside the movie theater as breathless as teenagers.
‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ said Molly.
Charlie grinned. ‘I can’t believe I’ve waited all my life to do this,’ he said.
‘I need to be home by five.’ Molly scanned the street anxiously, clearly worried that someone might recognise her. ‘Let’s go inside.’
He bought tickets to the early afternoon of the latest John Wayne film, “The Sea Chase”. Holding two boxes of popcorn and a bag of Bit O’Honey candy, he escorted her to a seat in the middle of the theater. The thrill of sitting beside her was acute, accompanied by the sweet pain of knowing that something so ordinary and straightforward was, for them, forbidden.
After a Movie-Tone newsreel, a Loony Tunes cartoon and previews of the upcoming movies, the main feature began. Finishing his popcorn, Charlie laid his arm along the top of her seat, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He waited for an exciting section in the film to drop his arm down to Molly’s shoulders.
At first, she acted as if she was unaware of his arm, focusing her attention on the screen. At a dramatic moment, Charlie clasped Molly’s shoulder. Instinctively, it seemed, Molly laid her head against Charlie’s shoulder and he pulled her comfortably toward him. Molly glanced up at him, red-cheeked, but made no attempt to move, and they stayed in this position until the end of the show. When the lights came on, Charlie helped her from her seat and continued holding her hand as he accompanied her to her car.
The parking lot was quiet as all the shoppers had vacated town. Charlie could feel the electricity from their joined hands surging around his body, and he knew without doubt that he had never experienced love like this before.
Molly opened the car door. ‘Thank you, Charlie,’ she said quietly, staring at his lapel. ‘I had … the most wonderful time.’
It was the sign he needed. She meant the most wonderful time she’d ever had.
He couldn’t help himself. Putting his arm around her waist, he drew her toward him and kissed her gently. He felt Molly’s body stiffen and then relax, and suddenly she was kissing him back.
It was only brief, but the powerful undercurrent of passion was something that would remain with Charlie for the rest of his life – a life that would have to, somehow, be with Molly.