Woman Read Free Page B

sitting on one of the easy chairs, a
half-filled glass of orange juice in her right hand.
     
         "Ah, more juice,"
Charlie said, taking the bottle from David. "A little more, my dear?"
he asked Ganine.
     
         "No, thank you,"
she said, smiling timidly.
     
         "All right.'" Charlie gave her a broad
smile and plopped himself down on the sofa. He made a toasting gesture with his
glass of Scotch. "To you," he said, "You should be a model, you're that
lovely."
     
         Ganine replied softly.
"Thank you."
     
         "Just the God's
truth," Charlie told her.
     
         "I need to speak to
you, Ganine," David said. She looked at him fearfully. "In the
kitchen," he told her.
     
         Her uneasy hesitation made
Charlie look at David curiously. "Something wrong here?" he asked.
     
         "No, no." David
told him, "I just need to talk to her for a moment."
     
         "Can't do it
here?" Charlie asked.
     
         "No." David's tone
was curt. "In the kitchen, Ganine."
     
         She stood as Liz came into
the room, her face pale, an hors d'oevres-bearing wraith. "Good evening
Mrs. Harper," Ganine said.
     
         "Well, aren't you the
beauty?" Charlie said. "Hey—I take that back. You look
terrible," Charlie said in concern. "Are you sick?"
     
         Liz shook her head, putting
down the platter of crab-filled appetizers. Ganine started toward the kitchen,
followed by David.
     
         "What's going on?"
Charlie asked.
     
         "She's not our
guest," Liz told him, making no effort to keep her voice down. "She
just showed up at our—oh, my God!" she threw her head back with a gasp of agony.
     
         "What is it?" Charlie asked, sounding
frightened.
     
         "My head. It's going to explode." Liz
was barely able to speak.
     
         David started out of the
kitchen, his face distended by fear. "Liz" he said.
     
         "A headache tonight!" Charlie said. He sounded
almost displeased. "Have you taken anything?"
     
         She didn't answer, groaning
weakly, both hands to her head.
     
         "Liz, you'd better
cancel—" David started.
     
         "No! I can't" Liz broke in with a cracking
voice. "I have to—!"
     
         Suddenly, she stopped, a
blank expression on her face.
     
         "What is it, Liz?"
David asked.
     
         "Liz come on, say something," Charlie said.
     
         She touched round her head
with shaking fingers.
     
          "What?"  David asked.
     
         She swallowed dryly.
"Gone," she muttered.
     
         "What do you
mean?" David looked confused.
     
         Unexpectedly, Liz uttered a
short, barking laugh. "It'sgone,"she said, her tone incredulous.
     
         "Well I'll be
goddamed," Charlie said. He took a long swallow of scotch. "I've
heard of psychosomatic but this is ridiculous."
     
         Liz laughed again. There
were tears in her eyes. "Thank God," she said, "Thank God."
     
         David moved to her and sat
beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "This is. . .what?
Remarkable."
     
          "Incredible," she said.
     
         "At least,"
Charlie said. He took another long drink, sighed.
     
         David looked at Ganine. She
was standing motionless in the kitchen doorway looking at Liz. Well, he thought
abruptly, still that problem. "I'll talk to her now," he murmured to
Liz.
     
         "Yes," she said.
She sounded weak.
     
         Standing, David took hold of
Ganine's arm and guided her into the kitchen.
     
         "I'm glad your wife is
all right," she said. "That didn't need to happen."
     
         The remark passed over him.
"Listen. Ganine," he said gently. "You really have to go."
     
         "But I won't bother
anyone," she said, "I'll just sit quietly. I just want to be near
you."
     
         "Ganine, this is a very
important evening for my wife. It disturbs her—"
     
         "But she's all right now." She