(The last paragraph of chapter 17)

“Oh, God—what time is it?” he said, jumping up. Margaret rolled over, still in a sleepy daze, and stretched.  Nathan rushed his clothes on. He went to the sink and splashed cold running water on his face and checked his eyes. “Why didn’t you wake me, damn it?” He looked around for his socks. He could only find one. “Shit.”  He slipped the shoe on his naked foot and then walked back to the sink, wet his hands and ran his wet fingers through his hair.
 
“Well, you did say you were going to tell her about us.”
 
“You act like you’re enjoying this. This is serious. I didn’t want her to find out like this. Oh, God what the hell am I going to say?” He stood bent over the sink.
 
“Nate, for whatever it’s worth, I wasn’t really going to tell her.”
 
“Now you tell me?” He grabbed his bag and stormed out of the cabin. On the way home, he rehearsed over and over in his mind what he was going to say to Grace and in between, he prayed. God, if you never answer another prayer of mine, Please, Please answer this one.

**************

(Chapter 18)
When Nathan drove up, it was nearly seven in the morning, and Joseph was standing in the front yard in full uniform and at attention. Nathan noticed the grim look on his face. And surrounding him, placed upon the lawn, were many of Nathan's possessions, including his numerous medical books. He nearly tumbled out of the car.

"NO, no, no," Nathan said, with both hands to his head and looking around at his things. "Joseph, what's happened?"

"Sir," Joseph said sadly, "I'm to take you and your things to wherever you want to go."

"What do you mean--wherever I want to go? I want to go here. This is my home."

"I...I'm really sorry, Mr. Nate."

Nathan ran to the door. It was locked. He tried his key, but something was stopping the door from opening. He banged hard and shouted.

"Grace. Honey--open the door. Grace. Sweetheart. Please. Open the door...Honey."

Nathan stepped back from the door and approached the side window. Pearl was holding the baby who smiled at her daddy. Pearl's eyes appeared glassy as she looked at Nathan. Suddenly Grace appeared with a stony glare. She said something to Pearl, and Pearl left the window with the baby still grinning at her daddy. Nathan thought he saw her wave bye bye. Then Grace stood with her arms folded and just stared at him. Nathan looked at her with innocent puppy eyes as his expression pleaded with her to let him in.

"I can explain, Honey," he shouted.

He'd never seen that look on her face before. It really frightened him--the idea of losing her. She never blinked, but slowly closed the drapes while he stood pleading with his eyes. Nathan whirled around and walked to the front steps--plopped down and put his face in his hands. Joseph stood in front of him--shifting from foot to foot.

"Well, Joseph, looks like I'll be needing a place to stay."

"Yes sir."

Joseph made several trips from the lawn to the car. After he'd packed everything in, Nathan slowly walked to the car; he stopped and looked back at the house, sighed and then climbed onto the back seat.

"Where to, Sir?"

"Just drive around for a while, will you? I want to clear my head."

"Yes sir, Mr. Nate."

After an  hour, Joseph pulled up in front of the Korens' house.

"Joseph, I didn't tell you to stop. Why did you stop here?"

"I figured you be needin' your friends right about now, Sir."

Nathan shook his head and half-smiled at Joseph's wisdom. When he stepped out of the car, the Koren's door flew open. Elizabeth stood there with a mixture of sadness and anger on her motherly face. Grace must have phoned her. He knew she was going to let him have it. Just how many times had she warned him about staying away from Margaret?

Joseph stood with the first armful of Nathan's things.

"You can put them upstairs in the bedroom at the end of the hall, Joseph," she said.

"Yes Ma'am."

After Joseph had placed all of Nathan's things in the spare room, he turned to Nathan before leaving the house.

"I'm sure sorry, Mr. Nate."

"It's my own fault. I hope you don't think too badly of me, Joseph, I really do love my wife."

"I know you do, Sir. It's sometimes hard being a man. If you know what I mean, Sir."

"I know what you mean. Look after them for me. Sometimes Mrs. Daniels forgets to lock up at night.

"Don't you worry, Mr. Nate. Ain't nothin' gon happen to Miss Grace and the little Miss whiles I'm around."

"Thank you, Joseph." He touched Joseph on the shoulder and smiled.

Surprisingly, during the quiet evening, Elizabeth and Dr. Koren never mentioned why he was there. There were no lectures or "I told you so" from Elizabeth. Though the evening felt strained, they treated him cordially. Finally, after dinner, Nathan couldn't stand their phony politeness any longer.

"All right, I destroyed my marriage," he blurted.

There was a long silence. Dr. Koren never looked up from his pipe and journal. Elizabeth continued sewing with frown lines growing across her face.

"Damn it. Say something," he shouted.

"I'm sure after Grace has cooled off, everything will be back to normal, Son."

"Oh stop it, Koren," Elizabeth said. "Not every woman is as forgiving as I've been."

"Do you have to air our dirty laundry in front of Nate?" Dr. Koren said.

"This is 1928, Koren. These younger women are just not going to take this kind of thing lying down--the way our mothers taught us to do. And I don't blame them. What the hell were you thinking, Nate?"

"I wasn't thinking, Mrs. K."

"Oh you were thinking all right. But with the wrong head."

"Now, Elizabeth, no need to take that route."

"Well, it's true isn't it?"

"No, Doc, she's right. She warned me several times about Margaret.  I thought she was long gone from my heart. I thought I could handle being around her. Look, I swear--I slipped just one time that night in her father's barn. It...it all happened so fast.

"You laid with her in the barn?" Elizabeth snapped.

Nathan began explaining so fast, his words seemed to fly out of his mouth. "But I swear she blackmailed me into meeting her again. She said she'd tell Grace if I didn't. I was frantic and went to meet her...just to meet her, mind you. That's when it happened again. I knew and she knew I still had strong feelings for her. But you...you've got to believe me. I was never going to leave Grace and the baby, and I told her so. But she just laughed. Then she said she had lied and was never going to tell Grace. I got mad and left, but by that time it was too late. My stuff was spread out on the lawn, and Joseph was waiting." Then he slowed down. "I only intended to tell her off and leave. When I didn't come home, Grace must have phoned Wainwright and found out I'd lied. How could I have been so stupid?"

"Now, Nate, my boy, don't be so hard on yourself," Dr. Koren said, puffing on his pipe.

"Oh, you men make me sick the way you stick together. Go have a glass of whiskey or whatever you do in that Man room of yours."

"That's a good idea. Care to join me, Nate?" Koren asked, easing up from his chair.

"Sure, why not?  Getting drunk seems like a good idea." The men walked into the smoke room and closed the door.

"And don't come out until you figure out how to get Grace back," Elizabeth shouted. Then she mumbled to herself, "And I think I'll go and have a nice, long talk with Mrs. Tom Wainwright. I'll bet I can get Margaret to stay away from you."