Final Arrangements Read Online Free PDF Page B

Was she that desperate, that pathetic? She was
playing a game with the man, taking advantage of his confusion. And
yet, was she? What was she really doing? Trying to set up the rules
of their newly formed relationship? On the day her father died?
    "No, Stretch," she found herself saying. "I
don't want you to change. I'll try to be more understanding. You
paid me a compliment and I should at least thank you." What am I
doing? Dear Lord! I was fishing, pretending to find offense because
he called me beautiful. I was testing the waters to see if there
was anything there. Encouraging him to be interested in me. Oh! And
it's not because I'm playing a game just to play one. I find him
attractive ... that's it ... I'm drawn to him. I'm in a bad way
emotionally, and I've fallen into this guy's fantasy. He's rubbing
off on me.
    "I'm glad we cleared that up, Stretch," she
heard herself saying, as though it was coming from someone else. "I
don't want to get off on the wrong foot with you. Because I'm just
here to make the final arrangements for my dad, and then I'll be
gone. I'm sorry. I've been leading you on because right now I need
a friend. But I've thought it over. I'm not available to marry
you."
    "You have someone," he said, and stuffed an
entire angel crown into his mouth, chewing somewhat glumly a few
times before swallowing the thing almost whole.
    It was a way out. She decided to take it. A
small white lie to turn off his fantasy. "Yes. I'm seeing someone.
One of my former clients. A very wealthy young man. Related to one
of the City's oldest families. He's a runner. We're both training
together to run the San Francisco Marathon in July." I just lied
to him! Why? Would it have been so terrible to have admitted there
was no one in my life? I've been without anybody serious for over
two years? Spending most of my weekends driving to Sacramento,
playing at being the important businesswoman? She felt dizzy. A
sugar rush? Or guilt from having lied so easily, so boldly? No!
Because she was attracted to him. Horrors! It didn't matter whether
or not he was living in fantasy land ... he was attractive
anyway!
    "I'm not," he said.
    "You're not what?" She felt disoriented, as
though awakening from a particularly deep sleep, her body half
paralyzed from intense dreaming.
    "I'm not seeing anybody," he said. "It's
because I decided to spend a year without being in a relationship.
I'm trying to discern my vocation in life. I've been spending most
of my free time working with the youth minister at my church.
Trying to decide whether or not to enter the ministry."
    Another fantasy. He probably cleans the
youth minister's pool! "And how long do you think that will
take? To decide?"
    "Don't know. It's a scary decision. It'll
mean at least four years of higher education. Quitting the pool
business."
    "Is that such a big deal? Giving up cleaning
pools?"
    "Oh, I don't clean pools."
    "Now I really don't get it, Stretch. Because
that's exactly what you were doing this morning. You were cleaning
my father's pool."
    "No. I was visiting your father. We had our
date to play chess."
    "But I saw you pouring in some
chemicals."
    "I always do. But not for pay. Just because
it's in my nature. Because your dad wasn't very good at cleaning
his pool."
    "You're not the guy who cleans my dad's
pool?"
    "You're dad always cleaned it himself. I
think he thought it was too extravagant to hire someone to do it.
But, you should know."
    "Then what do you do if you don't clean
pools? I mean, you are "The Pool Guy", aren't you? That's what it
says on your card."
    "Yeh, that's me. I'm The Pool Guy. But I
don't clean them. I'm the owner of the business. I run it with my
parents. I drum up the business by making commercials and doing
follow-up sales calls on the leads we get. My mother keeps the
books and my father manages the area managers who manage the guys
who do the cleaning. But enough about me. What's important is
deciding what we're going to do about the final