Accidentally Yours by Bettye Griffin Page B

large enough to drive a Harley-Davidson through, suggesting advanced periodontal disease like in those scary posters at the dentist’s office. The obviously dyed reddish-gold chignon hairstyle which looked so fashionable from the rear was badly in need of a touch-up. Dark roots at least half-an-inch long were clearly visible in the front. A thick layer of make-up failed to disguise the fact that she had bad skin.
    “Did you see that?” Glenda whispered.
    “ Yes. Listen, I don’t like to begrudge anyone their good fortune, but there must be two dozen unescorted women in our group alone, and every one of them is better looking than she is.”
    “ Hmph. She must be paying.”
    “ Maybe. But it’s depressing all the same.”
    *****
    A warm front hit New York the following week, a hint of the spring that was still over a month away. Usually such unseasonable weather was reserved for work days, but New Yorkers awoke Friday morning to temperatures in the high forties that would reach the mid-sixties by the afternoon. The television meteorologists were promising it would last until Monday.
    Bernard called Vivian at work that afternoon. “I hear we’re going to have real nice weather this weekend. Let’s plan on doing something outside.”
    “ Sounds good to me.”
    They spent Saturday afternoon in Central Park , then walked down the most fashionable part of Fifth Avenue. On Sunday they went to a deli and bought sandwiches, fruit, cheese and wine and had a picnic in one of the pullover areas on the West Side Highway overlooking the Hudson River, just north of the Seventy-Ninth Street Boat Basin. It was rather noisy, with southbound traffic whizzing past at sixty miles an hour, but somehow it was relaxing at the same time, just cooling out knowing that they had nowhere in particular to go.
    “ I always wanted to have a boat,” Bernard said. “I’ll bet it costs a fortune to keep one here.”
    Vivian was lying down with her head resting on his thigh. She followed his gaze to the boats docked in the basin. “I think most of those people live on their boats.”
    “ Well, that’s a thought. It beats paying rent, I’m sure.” He made a strange sound, almost like a whimper.
    She immediately sat up. “You all right?”
    “ Well, actually I’m not feeling that great. Do you mind if we wrap up a little early?”
    “ Of course not I’ll even drive.” She got up right away and began gathering the contents of their outing.
    “ You know, Bernard, you really should make an appointment to see a doctor,” she said when they were settled in his cream-colored SUV, Vivian behind the wheel with the seat and mirrors adjusted for her lesser height, waiting for a break in traffic so she could pull out.
    “ I know. I’ll definitely make the call tomorrow. It’s become pretty apparent that whatever this is, it isn’t going to go away by itself. Do you mind if I put my seat back?”
    “ No, go ahead. I’m fine.”
    Vivian took the first exit, then got back on heading north. She was glad the toll was on the south bound side; she wanted to get Bernard home as quickly as possible.
    It only took fifteen minutes to get to Bernard ’s co-op in Riverdale, but in that brief time he had fallen asleep. She gently shook him awake. “Yeah, I’m up,” he said unconvincingly.
    “ I’m coming upstairs with you. I’m not leaving until I know you’re all right”
    “ I need to bring you home.”
    “ If you’re not up to it I’ll just take your car to go home in. If you feel better later I’ll bring it back to you, and you can bring me home then. Even if you don’t feel up to it later, we can do it tomorrow. You take the train to work, anyway, and the car will be safe on my street.”
    On his floor she stopped at the incinerator closet to toss the trash bag from their outing. “Leave the door open,” she called. She opened the incinerator chute, stuffed the bag inside and did a quick reflex action to make sure it had actually