One Degree Of Separation Part 13

"Well, I'm glad we got to talk. I was obnoxious, wasn't I?"

Liddy grinned. "Yeah. Just a tip for the future. Make sure the new woman doesn't actually hear you call her Fresh Meat."

"Oh." Ellie swallowed. "I'm so sorry. You weren't meant to hear that. It's a running joke."

"I understand. Definitely not politically correct."

"Heavens, no. We have plenty of that here, but not when it comes to dating. Though no one wants to support my position, which is if we really want to break the patriarchy, we'd all be single and sleep around."

Liddy laughed outright. "Spoken like someone in favor of redis-tribution."

"You got that right-Hemma Rosling, it's really you! Hey, girl, congratulations!"

Liddy watched Ellie throw her arms around a slender, dark-haired woman who had to be of Middle Eastern descent. Another woman, with pale skin and lively green eyes Liddy found slightly mesmerizing, watched indulgently.

78.

Hemma returned Ellie's hearty hug. "Thanks, El. I'm still stunned. Going back and forth between giddy and sad. Amy is coping better than I am." She separated from Ellie and took the green-eyed woman's hand.

"You're doing fine, honey." Amy patted Hemma's arm.

"I'm so pleased for you. What an opportunity." Ellie stepped back to include Liddy in the conversation. "Hemma just got a tenured professors.h.i.+p in Hawaii."

"Congratulations," Liddy said politely.

Hemma held out one hand. "We haven't met."

"Liddy Peel." She shook hands with Hemma and then Amy, both of whom repeated their names with a firm grip. How very coupled, Liddy thought, to have the same last name.

"Liddy?" Ellie c.o.c.ked her head to one side. "Marian had it wrong. How amusing."

Liddy shrugged. She realized she was getting a bit old to have a love-hate relations.h.i.+p with her name, but there it was. She was certain Ellie wouldn't care for being introduced as Effie.

"What brings you to Iowa City, Liddy?" Amy regarded her intently.

She found herself explaining about the research job and giving every detail she knew, which wasn't much, about the eccentric Dana Moon. The conversation lasted until the band packed up, and Liddy was surprised to realize it was nearly dark. She had thought the days would be endless in Iowa City.

"What's the occasion?" She gestured at the departing band.

"Occasion?" Amy gave her a puzzled look.

"For the live music."

"Every Friday night during the summer," Amy said. "It's usually very good, too. The Ped Mall's the place."

"The occasion is that the students are gone," Hemma added with a smile.

Liddy winced. "Ouch, I was a student until a month ago."

"Sorry." Hemma was still smiling. "Now you're a grownup."

79.

"Ouch again. I'm not sure I want to be."

"That'll pa.s.s." Hemma touched Liddy's arm briefly then turned to Ellie. "Was Marian at the Java House?"

"Yeah. Speaking of devastation."

Liddy watched Hemma's eyes fill with tears. Amy's green eyes glittered as well.

Hemma shrugged helplessly. "I know. We're so close. I almost turned it down, but what kind of professional would I be to turn down the chance of a lifetime because I love my next-door neighbor to pieces?"

Liddy felt a couple of dots connect in the back of her head. The conversation she'd overheard at Wal-Mart, Marian's tears . . .

Hemma and Amy were the reason why. They both certainly seemed like nice women, the kind of professors she would have liked to have had more of in her college career.

"Human," Ellie said. "You'd be human. But I understand. And certainly Marian does."

"Maybe she'll get out more," Hemma offered. "I've often thought if not for us sucking up her social time she'd find someone to make her happy. She deserves it."

"I was just telling Liddy that," Ellie volunteered.

Now three pairs of eyes turned to her speculatively. Goaded, Liddy said firmly, "I'm not in the market."

Hemma sighed.

"Amy! Say it isn't so!" A group of women who seemed to know Amy from the university descended on them, and they had all heard the news.

Liddy was politely trying to follow the conversation when out of the corner of her eye she saw the unusual motion of someone backing away. She focused over Hemma's shoulder to see Marian turning to walk quickly away from the gathering.

"I really do have to get going," Liddy said to Ellie, who was engrossed in an increasingly flirtatious conversation with a woman who taught composition.

80.

Ellie nodded pleasantly without breaking her conversation. Liddy said a general, "Nice to meet you all," and then hurried in the direction Marian had gone.

She didn't know why she was following Marian. Their contact had been, well, unusual. She just remembered that sound of sup-pressed pain from this morning.

When she saw Marian's figure ahead of her she slowed, still unsure what motivated her. And now that she had pursued Marian, how would she get her attention?

When Marian turned to wave at a pa.s.sing taxi, Liddy set aside feeling foolish and said just loud enough to be heard, "Need another lift?"

Marian wheeled around. Liddy saw the glitter of tears across her cheeks and something inside her melted.

"I can't make a habit of this," Marian croaked. She cleared her throat. "I forgot to ask anybody for a ride to my car."

"And you didn't want to cry in front of Amy and Hemma," Liddy prompted softly.

"d.a.m.n, you're way too observant." Marian scrubbed her cheeks with one hand. "Good thing you're not sticking around."

"My car's on the street. Linn? At least I think that was it."

They walked in silence until Marian said, "Thanks for my tampons. I actually need them."

"Well, otherwise why buy them? Oh, d.a.m.n it all!" Liddy had to jump twice to s.n.a.t.c.h the parking ticket off her winds.h.i.+eld. "Second one!"

"You could park on the ramp," Marian suggested.

"So I've been told, but what the heck is athe ramp'? I didn't see a store like that on the map. There aren't any signs."

"The ramp," Marian repeated. "Parking ramps. There are several."

"Do you mean a parking garage? I saw the sign for one, but it's attached to the hotel. I figured it'd cost an arm and a leg."

Marian shrugged. "I doubt by California standards it does. A couple of dollars for an evening."

81.

"Oh."

"Otherwise, you can expect a lot of those." She pointed at the ticket. "I.C. is notorious for the number of parking tickets it gives out. College town."

"Okay." h.e.l.l, who would have thought Iowa f.u.c.king City was so secretive about places to park, Liddy thought. "I didn't think I needed a local guide to Iowa City, but obviously I do. You should put your services on eBay."

"If you were a student you would have received the standard ori-entation." Marian shrugged again.

Liddy watched as Marian tossed her backpack up into the car, then hauled herself into the pa.s.senger seat. For a moment she thought she might have to lend a hand, which made her look again at various parts of Marian where a push would help.

Marian was shapely, for a librarian. h.e.l.l, she was shapely for any profession.

Fl.u.s.tered, she forgot to trigger the steps on her side and had to haul herself up with less than her usual aplomb.

"Show-off," Marian said.

They stared at each other by the dim illumination of the dash-board lights. d.a.m.n, Liddy thought. I am not l.u.s.ting after Marian the Librarian, swear to freakin' G.o.d. Why would I? I hardly know her. Why am I trembling?

"The idiot behind me has me blocked," she muttered.

Marian glanced back and said, "Those big SUVs. How rude."

Liddy snorted, put the Hummer in drive, and went smoothly over the curb in front of her. "I like these kinds of parking places."

Was that a giggle? Had Marian the Librarian just giggled? Her eyes were dark and glittering. Liddy realized she'd give a million bucks-and the Hummer-to know what went on inside Marian the Librarian's head.

82.

Marian fought back another uncharacteristic chortle. She was almost hysterical. She'd been crying all day, and it suddenly didn't help that Liddy Peel seemed to have the ability to make her laugh.

"Do you know the way to Wal-Mart?" She hoped her car was still okay.

"Honey," Liddy drawled, "I'm a Wal-Mart femme."

"Femme?" Marian looked Liddy up and down. "The car sort of counteracts the femme energy."

"No reason a femme can't have butch toys."

"Okay, I agree with that." Marian kept her tone light. "Ellie is the highest femme I know, and yet she looks good in work overalls and a plumber's tool belt. Some women actually find a femme in butch trappings very s.e.xy."

Liddy opened and closed her mouth, then finally said, "I could pull a logging truck with this baby."

"Why?"

"What a good question. I don't know how to do it, either."

Rea.s.sured that Liddy wasn't into random acts of machismo, Marian asked, "What's a Wal-Mart femme?"

"A whole lot less expensive to live with than a Saks Fifth Avenue femme."