When they finished eating and he went to the cash register to pay the check, Emaline felt all nervy and short of breath. She had made him wait for anything more than a kiss, now she wished she hadn’t. She wished they had gotten it over with in the back seat of his De Soto. She was jittery as a cat on a stove, wanting it and wishing it would never happen at the same time, thinking of that wide brass bed in the hotel room yawning like the entrance to a cave. She told herself that she didn’t have to do much, just lie there and close her eyes and wait. It was like dancing, Calla said, the man was supposed to lead. But if he didn’t know how to dance, then what did they do? Jake was a superb dancer, he was good at all things physical. He had been married before. He would know what to do. Still, her mind skipped along like a dragonfly over the water, and her heart was beating too fast. She pressed her hand to her chest. There, girl. Settle down, settle down. It will soon be over and then you’ll know.

At the hotel, the elevator boy closed the iron gate as they stepped into the cage, turned the brass handle. They climbed as if by magic the three flights to their floor. Jake got out the big brass key and turned the lock and the door to Room 14 opened and she thought she would faint right there, facefirst onto the bed. He kissed her hard.

“Here you go, Em. I got to head out. I’ll be right back.”

“Where on earth are you going?”

“Department store across the street. Goin to get you some little thing to remember our wedding day.”

“I don’t need anything. I’ll remember our wedding day just fine. That muskrat thing setting on that poor man’s head, if nothing else.”

“Won’t take a minute, Em. I know just what I’m lookin for.”

“Can’t you go later?”

“You go ahead and freshen up. By the time you finish, I’ll be back. Don’t let any strangers in the room now, hear? Somebody knocks, you peek through this little hole, see who it is. If it aint me, don’t open it.”