Pike, Christopher by Weekend

Author:Weekend
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2011-08-20T16:02:17+00:00

EPILOGUE

The Stanford University Medical Centre was not the towering thirty-storey-plus structure Shani had expected. It was, rather, only a couple of storeys tall, although the place covered almost an entire city block, and was surrounded by beautiful manicured lawns and a maze of cement walkways overrun with white-clad medical personnel and slow-moving patients. She was glad to see it. They had made the drive from Santa Barbara in one fell swoop. Park had borrowed Robin's Porsche, and the high numbers at the end of the speedometer had seemed to fascinate him. A speeding ticket one hundred miles ago hadn't dented his fascination. What had really started her worrying was the organ donor card he had had her fill out when she had got in the car.

"It's big," Shani said. The day sparkled and the sun was dazzling. A cool, salty breeze from the not-too-distant San Francisco Bay poured through the car's open windows.

"A very astute observation," Park said.

"How will we find Robin in all of this?"

"She sent me a map."

"Where is it?"

"On the back of a letter she wrote me."

"And that's at home, right?"

"It was a personal letter. But never fear, I memorized the directions." Without signalling, he made a sharp right. They rolled down a shadowed alley towards the parking lot. They had to take a ticket, and would have to pay, but who could complain when they were cruising in a car worth forty grand? While searching for a vacant spot, Park asked, "Do you feel any different?"

"I feela lot different."

"So do I."

She let a minute go by before asking. "What do we feel different about?"

"Graduating, of course. For three weeks now we have ceased to be immature, irresponsible adolescents."

"Doing ninety on the way up here wasn't irresponsible?"

"It showed I am a man of consequence."

Shani took away his rearview mirror and began to brush her hair for the twentieth time, worrying that she had on too much make-up. Maybe Michael preferred the natural look. She hadn't worn lipstick down in Mexico and he had liked her there. And this yellow dress she and her mother had bought yesterday was way too formal for a hospital visit.

"All I remember from graduation night was being sick," she said.

"You drank too much Insecticide Lite."

"I didn't drink a thing. And you should talk. When was the last time the valedictorian had to excuse himself three times in the middle of his speech?"

"I was being given important updates," he said. For some unfathomable reason, he passed an empty parking spot. "Are you feeling better?"

"Finally. How about you?"

"I still get occasional updates."

"That's one good thing that came out of that weekend. Never again can you bother me about having messed my pants in kindergarten."

"I will never mention it to the end of my days." Park swung in between a Cadillac and a Ferrari. He had been waiting for equal status in his adjoining parking spots.

Shani got out and stretched. Butterflies were climbing out of their cocoons in her stomach. She had not seen Michael since their wild weekend at the Carlton Castle.

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