Honeymoon for Three

playing. He watched it without much interest while he decided that Penny could go to hell for all he cared.
     
    CHAPTER 10
    “I don’t believe Mt. Rainier actually exists.” Penny was disgusted. She made an adjustment to the focus of their binoculars and looked again. “The map clearly shows Mt. Rainier to the south, but all I see is clouds.”
    The map on the Observation Deck of the Space Needle pinpointed the grand peak to the south and slightly east of their location five hundred feet above the bustling metropolis of Seattle, but it was nowhere to be seen.
    “Mt. Rainier is a myth whose purpose is to draw tourists to the great state of Washington.” Gary took the binoculars from her.
    Penny was sure of it. That morning they had driven into cloud-covered Mt. Rainier National Park. The majestic peak was nowhere in sight. At the Visitor’s Center near Paradise Lodge, they found out that the glacier caves had been closed for a year due to snow. They tried to walk to Nisqualy Glacier in Paradise Valley. They reached a viewpoint, only to see fog and more fog. They did get a look at the lovely Fairy Pond.
    They escaped from the fog and drove through Tacoma on the way to Seattle. In Seattle, they walked along the wharf area, stopping at The Old Curiosity Shop, with its shrunken heads, mummies, and other exotic imports, including items showcased by “Ripley's Believe It or Not.” Other large importers occupied nearby buildings. Random walking took them to the site of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and the Space Needle.
    “ Anyway, there’s a good view of Puget Sound.” Gary swung the binoculars to the southwest. “Look, there’s a freighter.”
    “ Let me see.” Penny playfully fought him for the binoculars. Gary gave them up without much of a struggle. She looked in different directions, pretending to hog them. Gary hovered nearby, so she finally gave them back, acting as if it were a magnanimous gesture on her part.
    She mentally pinched herself. It was hard to believe she was actually married. At one time she hadn’t been able to picture herself getting married at all. So far married life had been a blast. The curse of Emily hadn’t affected her, after all. Well, maybe a little. But they had overcome it. She glanced around the platform, its height a good metaphor for the high she was on.
    Then she looked straight down. That was a mistake. The platform extended out from the supporting structure, so there was nothing below except the ground, which looked miles away. Penny backed up as the universe reeled. She braced herself against the wall for a few seconds as she tried to put her stomach back in its proper place. One more jolt like that, and she wouldn’t be able to eat any dinner.
    She wandered around the platform to see the view in different directions as other tourists did the same. She saw a man staring at the view whose profile looked vaguely familiar. Those big ears, the slight hook in his nose. She glanced at him several times, trying to place him. When he placed his hand on his stomach inside his jacket she was sure.
    “Alfred,” she said, approaching him. “Alfred Ward.”
    He focused on her, a startled expression suffusing his face. He looked like a deer caught in a driver’s headlights. For a moment, Penny thought he was going to turn and run from her.
    “It’s me, Penny.” He still looked dazed. “From Fenwick.”
    Recognition seemed to dawn in his eyes. Haltingly, he said, “Hi, Penny.”
    “It’s good to see you, Alfred.” Penny went up to him and gave him a hug, backing off when he didn’t return it. “What has it been—six years? Well, I guess we’ve seen each other a few times since high school.”
    “ Yes, a few times.” Alfred appeared to find his voice and managed something of a smile.
    “ Tempus fugits , as Miss Warren used to say. Imagine running into a classmate in Seattle. What are you doing here?”
    “Err…I’m sightseeing. Yes, I’m just here seeing the sights.”
    “I’m on my honeymoon.” It was the first chance Penny had had to say those words to somebody she knew. The word honeymoon felt good rolling off her lips.
    “Congratulations,” Alfred said. “Well, this is a good place to go. Lots to see.” He giggled.
    “ We’re actually going all over the place. We just came from Mt. Rainier—although it was so foggy we couldn’t see the mountain. We don’t believe it really exists. We’re going on to Leavenworth tonight.”
    “You’re