"Poor Grace, she lives her life through her romance novels," Luann sighed.
Susan leaned against the door frame of the lunch room, staring at Grace’s hunched over back as she typed. "She can go on hoping for romance, but if shedoesn’t do anything but sit at home and read, I’m afraid even that light will begin to fade."
****
Working diligently at her desk in a tiny office in downtown Seattle, Grace Dunn yawned tiredly and gave her eyes a rest. She gazed down at her sensible brownpenny-loafers, her gray tweed skirt, and her white cotton blouse buttoned to the top. She touched her mousy brown hair which was pinned up in a twisted bunas if she were the local librarian, deciding it was time for a break.
After digging through her large canvas purse she found her book and opened it up to the dog-eared page. Within moments she was swept away by the sensualpassages and the lives of women she envied. Checking her watch, seeing her ten minutes was over, she bent the corner of the page of her paperback, and rubbed her weary eyes. "Back to work," she sighed.She stuffed the used novel back into her large canvas purse and sat up straight at her desk, ready for more typing.
Her fingers once again flying across the keyboard as if they were possessed, she transcribed the oral notes from a cassette tape to computer screen, whichshe printed to paper. It wasn’t until five o’clock on the nose that she stopped. She was an honest woman—she put in an honest day’s work. As she closed downher word program her two female co-workers waved good-bye to her. They always left early, stopping before five so they could walk out of the door on thehour. It was cheating. The boss paid her to work nine-to-five. Her breaks she took at her desk so she didn’t use too much time coming and going to thelunchroom. Grace Dunn never took advantage.
Gathering her things, her large purse and her faded gray sweater, Grace waved to her boss, Mr. Lewis, politely, looked around her desk for anything she mayhave dropped, and then left.
The autumn light was fading quickly as the days became shorter and her walk to the bus seemed farther than it had in the summer warmth. Right on time theMetro bus stopped and opened its doors with a hiss. She greeted the same bus driver that had driven her for the last two years and sat in the same spot if itwas unoccupied, two rows back from the driver’s seat.
The heat was blasting from the vents and it seemed too dry and stale for her tonight. Looking out of the window which had been smeared with someone’s greasyforehead, Grace narrowed her eyes at the setting sun as it dipped over the Olympic Mountain Range dreaming of occupying another body, another life.
Chugging its massive bulk with an effort, the articulated bus seemed to struggle over the Aurora Bridge and up to the top of a gentle incline into NorthSeattle. She tugged the cord and the mechanical beast halted at the next stop. She thanked the driver politely and descended the metal steps carefully. Onceon solid ground she raised her chin up to her destination and walked the few blocks to her apartment on Phinney Ridge.
At the entrance she found a young man had just trimmed the front hedge that separated the grass lawn from the sidewalk. He was sweeping the debrisefficiently and bagging the clippings. Before she found her key she paused and peeked back at him just as he raised his head to acknowledge her.
The first thing she noticed was his incredible blue irises. Against his tanned skin they appeared to glow like cat’s eyes. His brown hair was conservativelycut, yet thick and full. He was clean shaven, trim and tall, and she had to force herself to turn away and not make a spectacle of herself. Just before shespun around in fear that he might actually address her, he smiled.
Her skin instantly rushed with warmth as she twisted away from him quickly. Finding her key in her purse, she dropped it, cursed herself for being so clumsyin front of him, and then finally impaled the lock as if she were stabbing it to death.
Once inside the lobby she took a moment to catch her breath dreading the fact that he may still be staring at her. She moved to the mailboxes, opened hers tofind nothing but junk and advertisements, and took the handful, and the elevator to the second floor, all the while hoping she didn’t lose something out ofher purse in the rush.
The aroma of strawberry potpourri wafted up her nose as she opened the door to her one-bedroom apartment. It was an old building and tended to stink of mustand mold. Setting her purse and junk mail down, Grace moved to the front window and peered out. He was still cleaning up the hedge clippings. Her eyesriveted to his movements as she mechanically removed her sweater and plopped down on the arm of the chair, her elbow on the window sill, her chin in her palm.
He had swept the sidewalk clean leaving no trace of dirt or leaves. Once the bags of clippings were tied up and moved to the side of the apartmentefficiently he came back into her view to collect his broom and rake. Before he vanished he appeared to be judging his work, then he looked up at the fourstory building and found her staring.
She gasped in fear and jumped back, crawling away from the window feeling like a fool. Hiding in her galley kitchen for a long moment, she felt the gloom oftwilight approaching and was loath to turn on a light until he had left and she could lower the blinds stealthily. Waiting what seemed like a lifetime, shefinally moved back to the window to spy. Every trace of him had vanished. She hastily closed the blinds and curtains, then, and only then, ignited a smalltable lamp.
Sitting down on her threadbare over-stuffed couch to catch her breath, she brought back his image once again in her mind as she unwound the tight bun of herhair and allowed it to fall down her shoulders. "I’m thirty-two and I’ve never kissed a man. I must be horrible." Slowly, as if to confirm her suspicions,she rose up, walked to the bathroom, and flicked on the light. There in the mirror’s reflection was a very simple woman. Her face was oval and pale, her hairwas straight and fell flat against her head, her eyes were brown, her eyebrows were a little heavy, but she had good teeth, full lips, and high cheekbones.
"Am I horrible?"
