Our Souls at Night

15

On a night in June Louis said, I had an idea today. Do you want to hear it?

Of course.

Well, I told you about Dorlan Becker at the bakery who said something about us and I’ve told you about Holly’s old high school friends calling her.

Yes, and I told you about going to the grocery store with Ruth and what the clerk said. And what Ruth said.

So here’s my idea. Just to make a virtue out of a necessity. Let’s go downtown in the middle of broad daylight and have lunch at the Holt Café, and walk right down Main Street and take our time and enjoy ourselves.

When do you want to do it?

This Saturday noon when they’re the busiest at the café.

Okay. I’ll be ready.

I’ll call for you.

I might even put on something bright and flashy.

That’s the ticket, Louis said. I might wear a red shirt.

—

On Saturday he came to her house a little before noon and she came out in a yellow bare-backed summer dress and he had on a red and green western short-sleeved shirt, and they walked from Cedar over to Main Street and down the sidewalk four blocks and then past the stores on that side of the street, the bank and the shoe store and the jewelry shop and the department store, walking along all the old-fashioned false storefronts. They stood at the corner of Second and Main in the bright noon sun waiting for the light to change and looked straight back at the people they met and greeted them and nodded and she had her arm entwined with his and then they walked across the street to the Holt Café where he opened the door for her and followed her inside. They stood waiting to be seated. People inside looked at them. They knew about half of those sitting in the café, or at least knew who they were.

The girl came and said, Is it the two of you?

It is, Louis said. We’d like one of those tables out in the middle.

They followed her to a table and Louis pulled out the chair for Addie and then sat next to her, not across from her but close beside her. The girl tookem; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 2em; text-align: ba about his hand their order and Louis held Addie’s hand out on the table and looked around the room. The food came and they began to eat.

Doesn’t seem too revolutionary so far, Louis said.

No. People are polite enough in public. Nobody wants to make a public fuss. And I think we’re overreacting anyway. People have more on their minds than worrying about us.

Before they were finished eating, three women stopped by the table individually and said hello and then went on out.

The last woman said, I’ve been hearing about you two.

What have I had. I saw