The End of the Rainbow (Hudson 4)

"No. Should I?"

"I don't want you to have to think about it. but I suppose he'll be disappointed that you didn't tell him. Being family means being part of the bad as well as the good."

"Okay," I said. "Ill write him tonight."

"Maybe you should go to England for the rest of the summer," Mommy thought aloud.

"I don't know, Mommy."

"Well, you don't do anything that makes you nervous, honey. When you're ready, you'll go," she said.

She returned to her needlepoint. I thought a moment and then I returned to mine.

We didn't speak for a long time, but we didn't need to say anything aloud. There was something between us, something we said with every movement, every breath, every glance and smile. How lucky I was to have her. I thought.

And then I thought about Harley, who was so alone. All his silences were deep and dark even when he sat in the same room with his mother and Uncle Roy.

In fact, all three of them were alone.

Two days later we had one of the worst heat spells ever. The humidity reached close to ninetyeight percent and the temperatures went over a hundred. Nights did little to cool it down. There was such a drain on the electricity in the area that some places were experiencing brownouts. Even the animals were depressed. All the birds lingered on branches in the shade. I felt sorry for Harley and Uncle Roy out on their job. There were stories about roadworkers and other outdoor employees actually fainting from dehydration. Except for sitting in the house under a fan or in front of the cool air vents, the only relief was in the lake, which Daddy said was the warmest he had ever felt it.

As soon as he returned home from work. Harley was in the water. One afternoon, he didn't wait to change. He drove his motorcycle down to the dock and dove in, clothes and all. Mommy and I thought it was very funny, especially when he stepped out and emptied his shoes. but Uncle Roy thought he was just being stupid.

We did more night swimming than ever. I would come out about eight and usually find Harley was already at the raft or just floating near the dock. Except for the small light at the dock, we would have only the moonlight or starlight. On overcast, heavy nights. Mommy didn't want me to go too far out.

"Just wade and get yourself cooled down. honey."

It was too warm for her to stay outside and watch us. so Daddy would come out occasionally and check or take a dip himself. Uncle Roy rarely ever went swimming. If he did, he just dove in on the other end of the lake, closer to his house. When Harley was younger, Uncle Roy kept him on that side as much as he could, claiming he didn't want Harley to bother us. but Mommy made it crystal clear that he was never to make Harley feel like he didn't belong. Now, of course. Harley could swim the entire width of the lake, so it didn't matter much where he dove in.

That weekend my aunt Alison paid us a surprise visit. Often Grandmother Megan didn't know where she was or where she was going, so she never called Mommy to tell her. I had a piano lesson that Friday afternoon. The music made me melancholy because it and my lesson reminded me that I was missing so much by not being in the music school. It all seemed so unfair. I was positive Duncan wasn't experiencing any melancholy. He never wanted to be at the school in the first place. I had simply been a means to an end. He was probably laughing about it somewhere, telling new friends about this dumb girl who tried to get him into trouble.

Thinking about it actually made me angry enough to want to tell Harley everything. especially Duncan's name and address, and thus send Harley after him like a hounddog to hunt him down and punish him or, at least, to wipe that smug, confident smile off his face.

The heat from my thoughts only exacerbated the discomfort I felt because of the hot spell. After my lessons. I ate a light dinner and then put on my bathi

ng suit and marched down to the lake. At first, I thought Harley wasn't there. It was darker than usual, being there was no moon in the sky, but as my eyes grew accustomed to the night. I saw him lying on his back on the raft, slightly illuminated by the stars.

Coming across the lake from his house was some soft, religious music, hymn music without the words. Tonight it seemed appropriate. I knew Mommy would rather I not swim out to the raft on a night like this. so I called to Harley, but he was either asleep or simply didn't hear me. I couldn't imagine he would ignore me. I was frustrated enough to decide I would swim out to him. However, just as I started to go into the water, a pair of headlights washed away the darkness and threw a beam of light over the water as far as the raft.

Harley sat up, shading his eyes with his hand and looking toward the dock.

I waved and he waved back. Then I turned to see who it was and heard Aunt Alison's laugh. There was the slam of car doors, more laughter, followed by her calling my name.

I answered and waited as she came down to the dock, followed by a tall, lean man with hair so light blond that it looked nearly white. Aunt Alison dangled a cigarette from the corner of her mouth. She wore very short dark blue shorts and a blue halter.

"How's my favorite niece?" she cried.

"I'm okay. Aunt Alison. I didn't know you were coming."

"Neither did I. but we were only fifty miles away and I told Harper all about my family and this wonderful estate. didn't I. Harper?"

He laughed and drew a cigarette out of the pack in the top pocket of his short-sleeve shirt. His jeans were tight-legged, and he had a very narrow waist.

"Harper is a swimmer," she said. He swam for the University of Virginia, didn't you. Harper?"

"Tried out." he said.

"It's the same thing." she quickly decided. She looked around. "So where is everyone? On a night like this. I half-expected my brother-in-law would be dipping my sister in the lake."