A Light in the Window by Jan Karon

Author:Jan Karon [Karon, Jan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin USA, Inc.
Published: 2011-06-03T13:23:08+00:00

“This, Timothy, is New York!” Walter yelled above the clamor of the restaurant. He held up an enormous deli sandwich as evidence and bit into it with conviction.

“Powerful attorneys eat like this? What happened to nouvelle cuisine?”

“Completely out of fashion! Now, tell me everything. Why are you here? How long are you staying? I’ll ring Katherine to take the Christmas ornaments off the guest room bed!”

He didn’t have the heart to tell the truth—that he’d flown all the way to a place he never intended to visit, only to discover that the one he’d come to see had passed him in the air, hurtling in the opposite direction.

“It’s like this ...” He couldn’t think of a lie if his life had depended on it. “I came to see Cynthia.”

“That’s the spirit!”

“And she wasn’t home.”

Walter suspended his garlic pickle in the air. “She let you come all the way to New York—and she wasn’t even home?”

“She didn’t know I was coming,” he said, feeling miserable. “It was supposed to be a surprise.”

“And you got the surprise.”

Thank heavens, Walter wasn’t laughing like a hyena. In fact, his cousin considered this piece of information very soberly.

“She flew to Mitford this morning.”

“Rotten luck, old fellow. But Katherine will be thrilled to see you. You’re staying the weekend, of course!”

“I’m on my way to the airport, actually.”

Walter looked at him and shook his head. “I’ve known you for fifty-six years, and you never cease to amaze me.”

“What’s so amazing?”

“That you mustered the courage to come here in the first place—we know how disconcerting this sort of thing is for you. And that you came without telling Cynthia! Quite a romantic piece of business for a country parson.”

“Foolish would be the word.”

“Actually, I like my word, and I’m sticking with it. You’ve always been a slow starter, Cousin, but once you get going, stand back.”

“There’s a rye seed between your front teeth.”

“You love her then?”

“What do you think?”

“Just answer my question.”

“Yes. She’s ... good for me.”

“In what way?”

“Oh, gets me out of myself.”

“There’s an accomplishment.”

“Makes me laugh.”

“Go on.”

“I trust her. She’s real.”

“Like Katherine.”

“Well ...”

They both laughed then, with affection for the outspoken, salty-tongued Katherine.

“Not like Katherine, exactly,” said the rector, “but in that league.”

“The big leagues, then.” After nearly thirty years, Walter still thought his wife the most compelling woman he’d ever known. “What are you going to do about all this?”

“I’ve never understood why people think I should do something about it. Isn’t loving her enough?”

“Nope. That’s the way it is with feelings like this. You’ve got to take them somewhere. They can’t be allowed to merely dangle around in space. Ask her to marry you.”

He felt his heart hammer.

“Either you’re blushing or your blood pressure is going out the roof,” Walter said.

“Sometimes I’m afraid to move forward, but I’m terrified to turn back.”

“There comes a time when there is no turning back. You’ll know it when you get there.”

“Thanks for your understanding. Sometimes you can be rather ...”

“A cad,” said Walter, finishing his sentence.

“I love you, pal.

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