“That's the way I figure it too,” Mike said.
“And after the second bottle,” Connie said, “you can take off your shirt and show our guest your tattoo. You know, dear—the one with the beard that says ‘Rita and Mike Forever.’”
“You mustn't be edgy, dear,” said Mike to Connie. “I plan on going off with Miss Moore for only a year or two. But I am definitely coming back to you.”
“That's what I call devotion,” Connie said. And she was thinking, I could kiss you, Rita Moore. Because Allison was laughing. She was alive again, and it was because of Rita, walking into the house so unexpectedly, and bringing with her the bracing air of the outside world.
It was the world that Allison had been trying to hide from, that she had been unwilling and afraid to face. It had brought her a success that frightened her, and a love that had ended in tragedy.
When they had finished the second bottle, Connie said to Rita, “I know this will break your heart, but I'm going to take Mike away now. I think you'll want to spend some time alone with Allison.”
“I suspect I'm being taken off to the kitchen to be put to work.” He headed toward the kitchen door, saying, “The next sound you hear will be the sound of breaking china.”
“They're nice,” Rita said. “You've had more luck than most of us, Allison.”
Allison made a gesture with her hand, as if to say, That's what you think, and she smiled a bitter smile.
“Full of self-pity, aren't you, kid? You smashed up and your man got killed, and now you're hurt because the whole world didn't crumple up and die with you. And if you stay here much longer, it'll go right on without you, for good and all.”
“I'm trying to get back to work again, Rita. It just won't come.”
Allison's hand was on the table. Rita reached across and tapped it with her long tapering finger. “It will come,” she said, emphasizing each word with a finger tap. “It will come because it must. This is the final lesson, Allison. That is what success means for people like us— that when everything else is gone, friends and lovers and husbands, we have got our work. It's the only constant thing in our lives. And when we betray our talent, then we might as well give up and return to the original chaos.”
She emptied the champagne bottle into their two glasses.
“I've got to get back to White River. My lovesick taximan is probably frozen to death by now. And besides, my husband is waiting for me at the White River Hotel.”
“Are you married again, Rita?”
“I've been married for two weeks, child. If you weren't snowbound in the Rockies, you'd have heard about it.”
“Are you happy?”
“Well,” Rita said. “I don't know what's happy any more. I tell you, love, we're cozy together. We understand each other. And it's a nice change. I mean, Jim isn't a fairy and he isn't a gigolo. He's really the first husband I've had in years who works for a living. Some morning I'm almost tempted to get up and pack his little lunch pail for him.”
“I'm glad you came, Rita. You've helped me a lot,” Allison said.
“Now how did I do that?” Rita asked.
“By reminding me,” Allison said, “that the world isn't full of mobsters waiting to cut me down. And by showing me that work will exorcise all the ghosts that haunt me.”
“Here's to Love and Work,” Rita said, raising her glass.
“I'll drink to that,” Allison said.
The taxi horn sounded, a loud blast that shattered the silence of the snow. Mike and Constance came out of the kitchen. Mike helped Rita into her coat. She kissed Allison good-by. “There are a lot of people working for you, love. Don't ever forget that.”
Allison went to the window and watched Rita walk down the snow-filled walk to the waiting taxi. She felt the cold through the glass and leaned her head against it.
I won't forget, Allison said. And I won't disappoint you.
She stood at the window and watched till Rita's taxi was out of sight, then she went to the kitchen door and looked in on Mike and her mother.
“I'll be up in my room, working, if you want me for anything,” Allison said.
Constance smiled. “I think we'll manage, dear.”
They watched her walk up the stairs to her rooms. Constance sighed her relief, and as Mike took her in his arms, she said, “Happy New Year, darling. I have the feeling it's going to be a great year.”
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