Leo held one end of the next board to go up. He looked through the framed wall down to where the road disappeared into the trees, and it was good seeing the sun on things again, but he was thinking about Allie acting like someone else ever since this past weekend when he gave her the roses and sunglasses. Well no, actually, she was all right Saturday. Sunday night seemed normal too. Chick wasn’t back yet then. Leo had borrowed the Valiant and he and Allie went driving along the river all the way up to Hadley where they pulled over into the dark of a plumbing supply store and kissed a while. She wouldn’t let him touch her breasts and other than hugging and kissing, she didn’t touch him anywhere. But that was okay really. After a time, Leo sat back behind the wheel and played her some meandering blues riffs, first in B-flat, then in C.

But Monday night at Beatrice’s, he found out from Sidney that Allie had gone home sick in the afternoon. Leo called her house from the UFO Show and she told him she’d rather see him some other time. “Some other time.” What the heck kind of words were those to be using with him, Leo, who she saw practically every day? And last night, Tuesday, when Jim lent him the car again, she didn’t even want to go anywhere. She said she was tired and couldn’t they just sit on the porch awhile and talk? And that was fine except Allie didn’t do any talking. She just sat on the steps with her elbows on her knees and her cheeks in her hands, looking at the ground a few feet in front of her while Leo tried bouncing around from one subject to another. He talked about Katie Faye’s writings. He didn’t know it until he said it, but he felt special—and his cheeks got hot when he said that word about himself in front of Allie—but he did, he felt special when he read his mother’s words about him. Allie actually looked at him for that part; the light from the living room window fell on the side of her face, her eyes were unblinking, her lips in a soft slight pout. She looked full of caring, but sadness too. Which is why Leo kept talking. Sad about what? Him?