“I’m so glad you came this summer,” Minnie whispered, eyes
shining with her own brand of fierce delight.
Charles ignored the painful twists in his chest and the loss of
sensation in his hands. “I am, too. Can I tell you a secret?”
Her eyes lit up even brighter. “Yes!”
Smiling slyly, Charles leaned closer. “It’s a very big secret. I’ll
have to whisper it in your mouth.”
Just as understanding wrote its way onto Minnie’s face, Ch
arles
pressed his lips against hers. Kissing Minnie was like laughter,
light and joyful and utterly lacking in guile.
As soon as she pulled away, grinning and pushing his shoulder
in playful reproach, Charles was already plotting how he could do
it again. As Minnie peeked through the fence to see if they were
free, Charles looked toward the house.
A bearded man stood in front of a large window, barely visible
through the summer sunshine. He was watching them, smiling,
but Charles felt no warmth.
“Who lives here?” Charles whispered.
Minnie didn’t turn around. “No one. It’s always empty.
Let’s go!”
Charles didn’t take his eyes off the man until he and Minnie
were safely through the fence, but he could feel the weight of his
gaze all the way home.
Boston, Massachusetts, 1926
Richmond, Virginia, 1928
Tampa, Florida, 1929
Hattiesburg, Mississippi, 1930
Prague, 1931
Cappadocia, Turkey, 1935