Round Robin

by Jennifer Chiaverini

  When she had composed herself, she continued down the stairs to Grandma’s Attic.

  All that week she planned and prepared, enlisting the help of her friends. Diane came over one afternoon and helped her choose an outfit for the day of the game. Bonnie had planned to wear jeans, thinking they would make her look younger, but Diane convinced her to wear a more flattering pair of casual slacks instead. She would also wear a white knit top under the blue Penn State cardigan Tim had given her for her birthday. She modeled the outfit, relieved to see Diane nod in satisfaction. “You look great,” Diane said. “I just hope little Miss Terri asks you where you got the sweater.”

  Bonnie managed a smile as she pictured Terri’s jealousy. She hoped Craig had never given Terri any gifts.

  Judy had her husband, Steve, look up articles on Penn State football, and he also collected amusing anecdotes from his sportswriter friends, stories that had not made it into print. Every evening Bonnie doted on Craig as if they were newlyweds. He seemed perpetually bewildered, as if he didn’t know what to make of her. On Friday evening he asked her if she still meant to accompany him; when she assured him she did, his shoulders slumped and he went off to his computer, dejected.

  Bonnie’s heart leapt in alarm. He was going to tell Terri not to come, and that would ruin everything. They would make arrangements for another time, another place, an occasion when it might be impossible for Bonnie to intervene.

  As night fell, Bonnie lay in bed in the dark, unable to sleep. Finally, Craig climbed in beside her. When she was certain he had drifted off, she stole from the bed, tiptoed into the family room, and switched on the computer. It let out a chord when it started up, and the melodic chime shattered the silence. Bonnie held her breath, listening, but not a sound came from the bedroom. Slowly she let out the breath. She would have to hurry.

  After turning the volume all the way down, she opened the E-mail program. A quick check of Craig’s most recent outgoing messages confirmed her fears. He had written to Terri to tell her not to come to Penn State the next day.

  “I don’t understand,” Terri had written back. “Are you having second thoughts or what?”

  “Just don’t come,” he had responded.

  Barely a minute had passed between his message and Terri’s reply. “I’m not your wife. You can’t tell me what to do. I have my own ticket and a baby-sitter and I’m going to this game with you or without you.”

  It was the last message they had exchanged.

  Bonnie chewed on her lower lip, staring at the screen and wondering what to do.

  She typed in Craig’s password and double-clicked the mouse. Her heart pounded as the computer announced the results of her query: two new messages were downloading into the computer. Terri had sent them both.

  The first said, “Are you still there?”

  The second had been sent ten minutes later. “I’m sorry I got mad,” Terri had written. “I just don’t understand why you’re backing out like this. If you would just tell me why, I could accept it. What’s wrong? Please write back.”

  Bonnie took a deep breath and slowly, slowly reached for the keyboard.

  “I’m sorry,” she wrote. “I guess I just got nervous. Forget I said anything. Let’s meet at the Corner Room at ten as we had planned. I’ll see you then.”

  She signed Craig’s name and sent the message on its way. Then she erased the note from the outgoing messages file and disabled the internal modem. She shut down the computer and returned to bed.

  The alarm woke her early Saturday morning. She shut it off quickly—Craig stirred but didn’t open his eyes. She bounded out of bed and raced to the shower, but she didn’t finish as quickly as she had hoped. By the time she had fixed her hair and dressed, Craig was out of bed and at the computer. He did not look pleased.

  “Is something wrong with the computer?” she asked.

  “Something is, but I’ll be damned if I know what,” he said. “I can’t get on-line.”

  “Do you want to try the one downstairs?” She hoped with all her heart he’d say no.

  He glanced at the clock on the screen. “No, I don’t have time.” Still scowling, he shut down the computer and stomped off to the shower. Bonnie hid her satisfaction. If there were any new messages from Terri telling him how pleased she was that he had changed his mind, Craig wouldn’t see them.

  She put on a pot of coffee and made him his favorite breakfast—cinnamon apple waffles. When he returned to the kitchen, his anger had faded and he seemed his usual self again. “Do I smell cinnamon?” he asked.

  “You certainly do, so sit down and eat before it gets cold.” She gave him a warm smile and carried their plates to the table.

  After breakfast, they locked up the house and carried their overnight bags to the car. At first Craig responded to her attempts at conversation with brief phrases or shrugs, but as the two-hour drive progressed, he relaxed and began to chat comfortably with her. They talked about the NFL draft that had taken place earlier that month; Bonnie knew from the articles Steve had given her that the graduating Nittany Lions had had an excellent year. The conversation turned to their kids, and then to their favorite memories from their student years at Penn State. By the time they turned off Route 322 and were driving down Atherton Street toward campus, they were chatting and laughing and enjoying themselves.

  At a quarter to ten, they checked into the Hotel State College on the corner of Allen Street, right across College Avenue from the main gates to the campus. They were given a pleasant room with a queen-size bed and a large window overlooking Allen Street. As Craig unpacked, Bonnie went to the bathroom to freshen up. She scrutinized herself in the mirror. Her eyes were bright with excitement, and the new hairstyle looked fresh and pretty. She was ready to face the enemy.

  She summoned up her courage and put the next stage of her plan into motion.

  In the other room, Craig was sitting on the edge of the bed flipping through the local newspaper. “So, when and where are we meeting your friend?” Bonnie asked him.

  “Oh. There’s been a change of plans. My friend isn’t coming.”

  “Why not?” she asked, putting all the disappointment she could muster into her voice.

  “Something came up.” He set the paper aside and rose. “Do you feel like a cup of coffee before the game?”

  “I’d love one.” Bonnie smiled at him. “Why don’t we go to the Corner Room?”

  Craig agreed—and why not? It had been their favorite restaurant when they were students. As they went downstairs to the lobby, Bonnie slipped her hand into his, her thoughts racing. Since the restaurant was affiliated with the hotel, she and Craig could reach it without going outside—but what about Terri? Would she wait inside or outside? Terri expected to share Craig’s room, so she had not needed to enter the hotel to register. Bonnie cursed herself for not being more specific. Even if Terri were waiting just outside, they wouldn’t run into her, not that Bonnie would recognize her if they did. All Bonnie had was the description Terri had sent Craig months ago, and how accurate would that be?

  She needn’t have worried.

  They restaurant foyer was filled with other Penn State fans. A smiling hostess with a clipboard was walking down the line taking customers’ names and apologizing for the wait. When she reached Craig, he said, “Markham, two, nonsmoking, please.”

  The hostess smiled in recognition. “Craig Markham?”

  “Why, yes.”

  “The other member of your party is already here.” The hostess took them out of line, picked up two menus, and motioned for them to follow her. “I thought she said table for two, but I guess she meant she was waiting for two. That’s okay, though; you have a booth, so there’s plenty of room.” And with that, she placed their menus in a booth already occupied by a wide-eyed woman with shoulder-length blond hair held back in a barrette.

  “Craig?” the woman said. Her eyes flicked from Craig to Bonnie.

  “Enjoy your meal,” the hostess chirp
ed, and left.

  “Well, hello,” Bonnie declared, sliding into the high-backed seat. “You must be Terri. Craig told me you had to cancel. I’m so delighted you came after all.”

  Terri’s mouth opened and shut.

  “I’m Bonnie, of course.” She extended her hand, and Terri limply shook it. Craig stood rooted in place. “Well, come on, honey, sit down.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the booth, then smiled again at Terri. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

  “It’s... it’s nice to meet you, too.” Terri held out her hand for Craig to shake and shot him a look of pained bewilderment, which Bonnie pretended not to see.

  “I thought Craig told me he would be meeting a friend from his old fraternity, but obviously I misunderstood.” Bonnie interlaced her fingers and rested them on the table. “So tell me—how do you two know each other?”

  Terri swallowed. “Um, well—” She looked to Craig for help. “Why don’t you tell her?”

  “No, no, you go ahead.” Craig sounded as if he were being strangled. “I’m not much of a storyteller.”

  Betrayal and annoyance flashed in Terri’s eyes. Craig didn’t see them since he had buried his face in the menu, but Bonnie did.

  “We met on the Internet,” Terri said.

  “Oh, well, that explains it,” Bonnie said. “No wonder I got mixed up. It’s so hard to keep track of all Craig’s Internet friends. He has so many.”

  Terri’s mouth pinched into a hard line. “Is that so?”

  “Oh, yes. He writes to people all over the world—men, women—”

  “Not so many women,” Craig interrupted. Terri just looked at him.

  They ordered coffee, and while they waited, Bonnie summoned up all that was good and loving in herself so that she could stop hating the woman on the other side of the table, this woman who was trying to steal her husband and ruin her life. She imagined they were in Grandma’s Attic and that Terri was a newcomer to Waterford, charmed inside by a bright quilt hanging in the shop window, unsure and uncomfortable, hovering nearby and listening wistfully to the laughter of the Elm Creek Quilters. There had to be something, something in this woman that Bonnie could love.

  The shape of her face reminded her of Sarah. Her hair was the same shade of blond as Diane’s. Her husband had left her for another woman and she was raising two children alone.

  There. That did it. Her hatred faded.

  This time when she smiled at Terri, she felt genuine kindness. “So tell me about yourself,” she said.

  Terri glanced at Craig, but he had not yet recovered his wits and was clearly of no use to anyone. So she began. When she mentioned her children, Bonnie asked if she had any photos. Hesitantly, Terri took a small album from her purse and passed it to her. Bonnie admired each picture and begged for the story behind them, and soon Terri was smiling shyly and talking almost as if they were friends. Craig looked on; by the time the server came by to refill their coffee cups, he had composed himself enough to join in the conversation, which shifted from family to work. Terri was working as an office manager in Harrisburg, but she dreamed of owning her own business someday.

  Bonnie knew this; she had read the E-mail. “I run my own business,” she said.

  Again Terri glanced at Craig. “I thought you worked in a fabric store.”

  Bonnie burst out laughing. “Oh, don’t I often wish it were that simple. No, I own a quilt shop, a place for specialty fabrics and notions and books, and just about everything else a quilter needs. I also teach quilting classes there, though I’ve cut back since I started teaching for Elm Creek Quilts.”

  “That name sounds familiar,” Terri said. “Weren’t you on America’s Back Roads a few months ago?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I remember it now.” Terri’s eyes grew misty and she sighed. “That manor is so beautiful. You really get to work there? That must be so great. And the people seemed so nice.”

  “They’re the best people I’ve ever known,” Bonnie said, and she meant it. “You should come to quilt camp sometime.”

  “Oh, no, not me.” Terri flashed her a quick smile and shook her head. “I don’t know how to quilt.”

  “What better reason to come to quilt camp? We’ll teach you.”

  “It looks so hard—”

  “If she doesn’t want to come, she doesn’t have to,” Craig broke in. Bonnie and Terri looked at him. Terri frowned. Bonnie tried to hide her amusement. She sighed, looked at Terri, and rolled her eyes. Terri giggled.

  “So tell me about your idea for your business,” Bonnie said. “I’d be happy to share my experience with you.”

  Eagerly, Terri told her about her idea to open a computer software and supply store with products of interest to women and children. Bonnie had to admit it was an interesting idea, full of possibilities. She answered Terri’s questions about start-up capital and location and marketing; together they brainstormed and debated. They talked through a few more refills of coffee until Craig finally cleared his throat and reminded them about the game.

  “He’s right,” Bonnie said. “You two better get going or you won’t make it to the stadium in time.”

  “What about you?” Terri asked, climbing out of the booth.

  “I’m going to watch it from the club down the street.” Bonnie explained that she didn’t have a ticket because she had decided to come at the last minute. She saw Craig and Terri exchange a long look. Now Bonnie’s presence had finally been explained, and now Terri finally understood why Craig had canceled the date. But Craig still didn’t know why Terri had shown up after he had told her not to, and Terri had no idea why Craig had changed his mind and why on earth he had brought his wife along.

  They would have plenty of time to talk at the game.

  Craig and Terri walked with her to the bar, two blocks away. They arranged to meet outside the stadium after the game. Bonnie waited until Craig and Terri climbed onto the Campus Loop bus that would take them to the stadium, and then she went inside the bar.

  She was exhausted. Everything was going well so far, but the effort had drained her.

  The layout of the bar had not changed since her last visit years ago; the dining room was empty, but the bar was nearly full. One wall was lined with big-screen TVs, all tuned to the same station. Bonnie took the last available table and ordered a drink.

  Her eyes were fixed on the screen, but her mind was with Craig and Terri. There was no reason for them to go to the game, not with “the wife” safely out of the way. They could be in the hotel room that very minute. After they wore themselves out with lovemaking, they would turn on the game and watch it as they cuddled, so later they could describe plays and statistics to her as if they had been in the stadium. At the last possible moment they would race hand in hand across campus to the meeting place outside the stadium, still glowing from their encounter and from the glee of deceiving her.

  Bonnie shook her head to force the thoughts away. She couldn’t think like that. Surely by now they were too worked up and anxious and guilty to even contemplate having sex. Besides, they knew she had a key to the hotel room. They wouldn’t risk it.

  She kept reassuring herself until she almost believed it.

  She nursed her drink through the first quarter, then switched to soft drinks for the rest of the game. It seemed hours until the fourth quarter, but finally it was time for her to leave if she wanted to meet Craig and Terri promptly. But Bonnie didn’t budge. Her heart began to pound as the game ended, but still she didn’t leave. Instead, she struck up a conversation with some of the other customers and focused her attention on an interview with Joe Paterno.

  Suddenly she spotted Craig and Terri making their way through the crowd toward her, unsmiling, carefully apart from each other. She pretended not to see them until they reached the table and Craig spoke her name.

  Bonnie feigned astonishment. “Is it that time already?”

  “We waited for you for twenty minutes,” Craig said, al
most woebegone.

  “I lost all track of time.” Bonnie rose and forced out a cheerful smile. “You two must have enjoyed the game even more than I did, since you were in the stadium.”

  “It was all right,” Craig said, but neither he nor Terri looked as if they’d had much fun.

  They were ready for supper, so they walked several blocks east to an Italian restaurant. Craig and Terri seemed ill at ease with each other and grateful for Bonnie’s conversation, which was nearly a monologue, the others spoke so infrequently. Soon she had them grinning in spite of themselves with the anecdotes from Steve’s sportswriter friends. Bonnie could almost forget what had brought them together in that place.

  They left the restaurant at dusk.

  “Where are you staying?” Bonnie asked Terri as they strolled down College Avenue toward the Hotel State College. The three walked side-by-side, with Bonnie in the middle.

  “I’m going home.”

  “Oh, do you have to? I was looking forward to hearing more about your computer store over breakfast.”

  Terri fidgeted with the straps of her purse. “No, I’d better get home. It’s only an hour away. No sense in paying for the sitter if I don’t have to.” She shook Bonnie’s hand. “Thanks so much for all your advice.”

  “Don’t mention it. Any time. You have my number.”

  Terri nodded. Then her mouth tightened and she extended her hand to Craig. “Good-bye,” she told him, and her words carried a ring of finality.

  Craig shook her hand and nodded, but said nothing. Terri flashed them a quick, tight smile and walked away.

  Bonnie and Craig watched her until she rounded the corner, then they continued on to the hotel.

  “Terri seems very nice,” Bonnie said.

  “She thinks you’re nice, too.” He paused. “Actually, she thinks you’re wonderful. She said you were ‘an inspiration.’”

  “No kidding. I don’t think anyone’s ever called me that before.” Bonnie kept her voice casual. “The next time you write to her, why don’t you invite her to visit us in Waterford?”

  “I don’t think we’ll be writing to each other anymore.”