The Anniversary Read Online Free PDF Page A

moved. For her part, she’d told him how she’d come 14
    here for school, then fallen for the town.
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    He was so appealing, so easy to talk to, she’d liked him right 16
    away. Still, when he’d asked her out for dinner, she’d found her-17
    self hesitating. She’d been on her own for so long now. It seemed 18
    safer that way. There was no one to tell her what to do, no one to 19
    report to. No one to ask her difficult questions, to dredge up the 20
    painful past. Her life was simple, streamlined. For the most part, 21
    it worked. And yet there was something about Rick that had 22
    caused her to reconsider. I’ll go out with him once, she’d told her-23
    self. And that was how it started.
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    A rustle as Rick turned the page, and a flyer fell to the floor.
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    Pushing aside the mail, Callie reached down to get it. A two-for-26
    one sale on Easter candy, worth remembering. Once again, it was 27
    almost time for the neighborhood’s Easter egg hunt. When was 28
    Easter anyway? Two weeks? Or was it sooner?
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    She reached into her purse for her Filofax, meaning to check 30
    the date. But as she pulled out the date book, she saw that some-31
    thing was caught between its pages. The envelope she’d picked 32
    up earlier, the one stuck in the door. She’d totally forgotten about 33
    it. Now she pulled it out. Edging a fingernail beneath its flap, she 34
    neatly ripped it open. Inside was a single sheet of paper. Two S 35
    short sentences, typed.
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    A M Y G U T M A N
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    Happy Anniversary, Rosamund. I haven’t forgotten you.
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    The shock was so intense that at first she didn’t feel a thing.
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    Like plunging into ice-cold water, unable to catch your breath, 4
    hurtling down and down and down, not knowing when you’ll 5
    stop. She clutched the note tight in her hand. Everything had 6
    changed.
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    “Callie? What is it?”
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    She started at the sound of Rick’s voice, pulled back from the 9
    precipice.
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    “Just a note from Anna’s teacher,” she lied. “I’ve got to talk to 11
    her.”
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    With thick, unwieldy fingers, she quickly refolded the page.
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    Stuck the note in its envelope back in her Filofax. She was about 14
    to close the leather cover when her eyes caught today’s date. The 15
    large block letters in the small square box said Wednesday, April 5.
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    She stared at the date, hardly able to believe it.
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    April 5.
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    Today was April 5.
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    How could she have forgotten?
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    Thursday, April 6
    Da n c i n g close.
    1
    Her head rests on a man’s shoulder, her small hand encased in his 2
    larger one. Her dress is long and white, soft against her skin. She’s a 3
    beautiful girl in a beautiful dress, dancing with her new husband. His 4
    leg moves forward as hers slides back. He turns, and she turns with 5
    him.
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    One, two, three. One two three.
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    A waltz.
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    Another turn and then another. She’s starting to feel dizzy. But 9
    when she looks up to tell him, she can’t seem to speak. He smiles at 10
    her, then, firmly, presses her head back down. As if he can’t bear to 11
    look at her. She wants to ask him why. But when she tries to move her 12
    head, his hand holds it in place.
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    One, two, three. One two three.
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    It seems as if the room is growing darker, as if it’s going to rain. But 15
    then she sees that they’re not in a room and everyone else is gone.
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    They’re dancing outside, in a parking lot, surrounded by a high fence.
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    In the background, she hears music. I’m in the mood, I’m in the 18
    mood, I’m in the mood, I’m in the mood, I’m in the —
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    One, two, three.
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    One two three.
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    She almost starts to giggle as they waltz to country rock.
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    Again, she tries to look up at him, and this time he doesn’t stop