Part 41 (2/2)

I looked into her eyes. ”You,” I said softly. ”It really hurt then, for I knew that all the years before had been lost and I could never get them back. And I was afraid to try, I didn't know how.”

She looked into my eyes searchingly for a long moment; then she turned and rested her head on my shoulder and looked up at the sky. We sat like that for a long time.

At last she spoke, her voice warm and contented. ”I was afraid, too,” she said.

I smiled down at her. ”Afraid of what?” I asked.

She s.h.i.+fted her head on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. They were soft and trusting. ”Afraid you would never forget her, afraid you would never come back. I was even afraid you thought of her now.” I kissed her. She looked up at me. Her voice was small. ”You don't know what it means to be afraid like that. Not to be sure of someone you love.”

I kissed her again. Her lips were soft against mine. ”You don't have to be afraid any more, sweetheart.”

She smiled gently up at me. I could feel her breath against my cheek. ”I know that-now,” she sighed contentedly.

The night was still again and we could hear the sound of the crickets chirping in the bushes. Occasional fireflies sparkled in the night. Below us in the valley were long lines of lights. They came from homes, from street lamps, from neon signs. They matched the stars in the sky above us.

She sat up suddenly and looked at me. ”What's going on at the studio, Johnny?” she asked. ”Is something wrong?”

I lit a cigarette before I answered. ”Nothing important,” I answered.

The look on her face was skeptical. She knew too much about this town to believe me. ”Don't tell me that, Johnny,” she said quietly. ”I can read the papers. I saw what the Reporter had to say yesterday. Is it true?”

I shook my head. ”Part of it is,” I admitted, ”but I think I got it licked.”

”You did get into trouble because you came out to Papa,” she said. She hesitated a moment. ”I should have thought of that when I called you.”

I looked at her. Her eyes were questioning. She was worried about me. Strangely I felt good about it. With all that she really had to worry about that was more important, she was thinking about me. I picked up her hand and kissed its palm. ”I wouldn't have it any other way, sweetheart,” I said. ”Even if it meant that I had to leave Magnum. Being with you again and seeing Peter is more important than anything I have to do at the picture company.”

Her eyes were clouded with a sort of mist. ”I hope you won't have any trouble on account of it.”

I squeezed her hand rea.s.suringly. ”Don't worry about your old Uncle Johnny, sweetheart,” I said more confidently than I felt. ”He's got the situation under control.”

I don't think it was more than ten minutes later that I found out how wrong I was. We heard the sound of a motor coming toward us in the driveway.

Doris looked at me puzzledly. ”I wonder who that is,” she said.

”It's Christopher,” I said, glancing back at the headlights and recognizing the car. ”I told him to pick me up here a little after eleven.”

The car pulled alongside ours. Christopher stuck his head out the side. ”That you, Mr. John?” he called.

”Yes, Christopher,” I answered.

”I got a special message for you from Mr. Gordon. He says for you to call him right away. It's most important.”

”Thanks, Christopher,” I said, getting out of the car. I turned to Doris. ”I'll use your phone.”

She nodded and I hurried off to the house, wondering what he wanted now. I could hear Christopher's pleased voice behind me: ”h.e.l.lo, Miss Doris. How is Mr. Peter?”

I didn't hear her reply because I was already in the hall and picking up the phone. I dialed Bob's number and waited. I could hear the buzz of the phone at the other end. It rang only once, then he picked it up. He must have been waiting for the call. ”Bob,” I said, ”this is Johnny.”

His voice sounded angry. ”I thought you told me everything was going to be jake,” he shouted into the phone.

What the h.e.l.l was he sore about? ”Pipe down, pal,” I said dryly, ”or I won't need a phone to hear you. Sure I told you everything was going to be jake. Now what's wrong?”

He was still shouting. ”Everything's wrong. You've been feeding me a line of bull, that's all. I just want to tell you I'm not gonna take it any more. I quit.”

Now I was sore. ”What the h.e.l.l's going on?” I asked. ”Stop the c.r.a.ppin' around and tell me what happened. I still don't know.”

”You don't know?” There was a sound of skepticism in his voice.

”I don't know,” I answered.

He was silent for a minute. When he spoke again, there was a new tone in his voice. ”Then we're both getting jobbed,” he said. ”I just got a call from Billy at the Reporter. He said an announcement just came from Ronsen's office that at a special board-of-directors meeting held in New York tonight Roth and Farber were elected to the board and that Roth was also elected vice-president in charge of production!”

It was my turn to be silent. The sons of b.i.t.c.hes had called my bluff. Farber must have done some fast talking to get Larry to pull a stunt like this. I could just imagine his arguing: ”Take a chance and do it. Edge won't pull out. He's with this company too long. It's his baby.” And he would be right too. He knew I wouldn't pull out even if Larry didn't. I found my voice. ”Don't do anything until I see you, Bob. Sit tight, and if I don't see you over the week-end, I'll see you at the office Monday.”

I hung up the phone. I waited a minute, then picked it up again and called the long-distance operator. ”Get me New York,” I said, and gave her Janey's number.

It was almost two o'clock in New York, but I had to find out what had happened.

Rocco answered the phone; his voice was fuzzy with sleep. ”h.e.l.lo,” he growled.

”Rock, this is Johnny,” I said quickly. ”I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but I gotta talk to Janey.”

He was awake in a moment. ”Okay,” he said. ”Hold on.”

Janey's voice came on. ”Yes, Johnny.”

”What time did that directors meeting take place tonight?” I asked.

”About nine o'clock,” she answered. ”The Teletype calling for it came through at six, but it was nine before they could get enough of them together for a quorum. I thought you knew about it, but I didn't take any chances. I sent a notice back to you on the night wire.”

”I see,” I said slowly. I certainly did. There were probably two notices on my desk in the studio right now, placed there after I had left the office. I had left early because I wanted to try to see Peter that afternoon.

”Is there anything else, Johnny?” she asked anxiously.

Suddenly I was tired. ”No,” I said slowly. ”Thanks a lot. I'm sorry I woke you up.”

”That's all right, Johnny,” she said.

”Good night Janey.” I heard her answer and then hung up the phone and turned around.

Doris was standing there looking at me. I looked at her. My face must have told her the bad news. She took a deep breath. ”Trouble, Johnny?” she asked.

I nodded my head slowly. Nothing but trouble. It was up to me now. Put up or shut up. If I took it, I was through. If I didn't, I was through anyhow. Slowly I sank into a chair. What a day! Black Friday.

I should've stayed in bed.

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