Honeymoon for Three

Human Inventory. He was Adam plus a number, and she was Eve.
    Their letters covered a lot of territory, and by the time they went on their first date to the San Diego Zoo, they knew each other better than many couples do after months—or years—or forever. Gary wondered what would have happened if one or both of them hadn’t been truthful in the letters. They would certainly have found out on that marathon first date which had lasted twelve hours. It would have been two months down the drain, but then, life was a risky business.
    Fortunately, they had been truthful, and they were still being truthful with each other. Although, Penny hadn’t told him about the notes and phone calls she had received until the night before last. However, he trusted her, and she trusted him.
    Since their families were both on the east coast, if they were going to get married at all it was easier to do it this way than try to coordinate from long distance. He had mentioned the possibility of marriage to his mother on the phone a few weeks ago. She had immediately started naming the dates they weren’t available, including right now. They were in Europe on an extended vacation.
    He put a pot of water on the stove to heat for cocoa, and a frying pan for eggs. He was happier than he’d ever been.
    ***
    Alfred didn’t know whether it was the sunlight or the cold or the noises of other campers that woke him, but as soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled enough to take a quick look at his watch. Almost nine o’clock. Panic. What if the birds had flown?
    Actually, he didn’t notice the cold until he moved, but when he tried to get up, he realized just how stiff his body was. Frozen stiff. Last night, after he had returned to the car, he had run the engine with the heater on high until the interior heated up, not caring how the noise affected the people in the adjoining campsites.
    That warmth had allowed him to go to sleep. It had long since dissipated. When he made it to a sitting position, he considered what to do first. Based on yesterday’s experience, that was obvious. He walked to the nearby restroom, trying to ignore tempting odors of food and drink wafting from nearby campsites. He had nothing to eat with him, except the remains of a bag of peanuts.
    Since Penny’s campsite was on the other side of the campground, there was no chance of running into her or Gary. He washed his hands and face in the icy tap water, wet his hair, and ran his fingers through it. He took handfuls of water and reached up under his clothes to wash his armpits, in lieu of using deodorant. The cold shocked his body into full wakefulness.
    Then, ignoring the inquisitive looks of a couple of other men who had the unkempt and slightly soiled appearance that campers always had, he placed his mouth under a faucet and drank as much water as he could consume. He could picture all manner of stuff dissolved in the metallic-tasting liquid, but it might be the only breakfast he would get.
    Alfred returned to his car, walking among the tall pine trees and inhaling their fragrance. It reminded him of a trip his family had taken to the White Mountains of New Hampshire when he was a boy. Some of the sun’s rays found their way through the foliage, descending to the earth in parallel lines. They were heating up the air. The campground was alive with activity. Children ran about, and adults drank coffee at their picnic tables. His hunger pangs returned. He must stop thinking about eating.
    He was faced with immediate decisions. Should he drive to their campsite and risk having them notice his car, or should he walk? He was quite sure he could walk the distance in five minutes by daylight, now that he could see where he was going. That also meant five minutes getting back to his car when they left.
    Neither alternative was appealing. He drove to the entrance, instead. Once there, he parked his car near the office where several other vehicles sat, keeping his eyes glued to the rearview mirror. After a few minutes he remembered that he had seen some snack food for sale in the office last night.
    He got out of the car and covered the few feet to the door of the office at a trot. Once inside, he glanced out of the window every few seconds as he picked out several bags of chips and nuts and paid for them. Back in the car, he opened a bag of chips and started to munch on them. With his other hand, he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a map.
    Alternately looking