Come Pour the Wine by Cynthia Freeman

Author:Cynthia Freeman [Freeman, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780553196511
Publisher: Bantam
Published: 1980-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NICOLE, THEY REALIZED WITH a shock, was being graduated from eighthgrade and was going on to high school.

Listening to the principal’s speech, Bill’s thoughts drifted back … It truly seemed that that exquisite little girl had been born only yesterday … one year … two … three … God, how had he misplaced them? In his mind’s eye he was teaching her how to ride a bike, feeling what he’d felt when she fell off and he’d run to help her up and put her back on, and after a while how she’d been able to say, “Look, dad, no hands …” She’d been only five … at six he remembered how she was outswimming him across the pool … On father-and-daughter Girl Scout excursions he was the one who came home with a case of poison oak … And then there was her first piano recital. She was only eight, played the Schubert Serenade. God, he was proud of her …

A montage, changing color and form. A million pictures to review, to remember, try to put in order. And here she was thirteen … Where had all the time gone? For him too … ? (Janet was left out of these reveries.)

He glanced over at Jason, now ten, tall and handsome for his age. Bill wanted to shout out to him … Son, don’t let the years go so fast. It was only yesterday when he’d umpired the Little League baseball game. Yesterday when the two of them had gone trout fishing. A year had passed since they went to Colorado, just Jason and himself, going down the rapids, while Janet took Nicole back to Kansas for a week … The years had sped by while he wasn’t even looking. Well, he was looking now. Taking a good look. He was forty and a little frightened. At least he was still hard as a rock, and Janet didn’t seem to notice the gray hair around the temples. And in bed? As good as ever …

He was brought out of his reverie as the parents got out of their seats and walked to congratulate their children.

“You were gorgeous, princess.” Bill smiled, kissing her on the cheek and holding her just a little tighter, as though he could prevent time … her … from marching on.

All the bittersweet memories were gone by the time Bill got home and changed for the children’s swimming party. He was to be the chef, making a big production out of fixing hot dogs and hamburgers. Gallons of soda pop were consumed, there was no hold on the potato chips.

By six the party was over, and Nicole went to her room to prepare for the evening party at Linda Mason’s.

When her father saw her come into the den in her long white organdy dress, he just sat staring. Again the years came rushing at him. There was a peculiar sensation at the pit of his stomach, recalling how he’d walked the floors with her when

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