Honeymoon for Three

“I…I don’t want to try to talk to her over the phone. I’ll wait until I get back to L.A. and deal with her in person.”
    “You never told me your wife’s name.”
    “Uh…Penny. Her name is Penny.”
    “Nice name, Penny. Shiny new Penny. Or a bad Penny. Sorry, couldn’t resist. If there’s anything I can do to help you two get back together…”
    “Thanks. I’m afraid not.” She was transforming into mother mode. “What I was thinking, since I’m here, I might spend a couple of days sightseeing. See the redwoods and the coast and everything. If you’re not using the camper, maybe I could rent it from you. Of course, I’ll pay for the gas and everything. I’ll even get it washed and leave you with a full tank.”
    Mattie chuckled. “Well, you were the one who fixed it. It’s running great now. You’re a pretty good driver. I don’t think Don would object. I’ll tell you what; you can take some of the food we had left over from the trip. I’ll even give you a change of underwear and socks. I don’t think you can wear Don’s pants—your waist size is a little larger than his—but his shirts shouldn’t be a problem.”
    Now she was definitely acting like a mother. Things were working out just fine.
    ***
    Gary and Penny reached the coast at Crescent City. They turned south on Route 101 and found themselves almost immediately in a forest of redwood trees. They stopped at Redwood National Park and took a hike along a path with the giants towering above them. The vista reminded Penny of pictures she had seen of the interiors of large European cathedrals, with the ruler-straight tree trunks representing the cathedral columns. This was on a much grander scale than any cathedral.
    “ The tallest tree in the world is somewhere in this area.” Penny read from her guidebook. “It’s almost four hundred feet tall.”
    “ Taller than a football field is long.”
    Penny looked up the trunk of one of the trees, imagining what it would be like to be in the relatively stubby branches at the top. She felt dizzy and almost fell over backward. She quickly looked down and went back to the guidebook.
    “ They need a damp climate, with moderate temperatures all year long.”
    Tendrils of fog drifted past them, and they were none too warm in their sweatshirts. The place was enchanting, but it was also a place where Penny didn’t want to linger. The canopy of branches high above their heads blocked out most of what sunlight there was, leaving an eerie aura.
    A half hour of feeling like Lilliputians was enough for them, and they headed back to the car. Penny said, “Let’s find ourselves a nice sunny beach.”
    ***
    Alfred stationed the camper in a parking lot facing Route 101, which was also the main street of Crescent City, near the intersection where Route 199 came in from Oregon. That was the route that Mattie, Don, and he had taken last night to get there, and he was positive that Penny and Gary would be coming the same way.
    The question was when? He hoped they hadn’t already passed this way. If they didn’t show up by mid-afternoon, he would return the camper to Mattie and take the bus back to Los Angeles. Mattie had provided him with plenty of food so he wouldn’t go hungry as he waited. She had gone from trying to be his lover to being his mother. He was more comfortable with her in that capacity.
    A green Volkswagen Beetle approached from the north. Alfred glanced at his watch. He had been here less than two hours. His excitement grew as he became more and more certain it was them. He started the engine of the camper. His excitement peaked when he saw Penny’s profile in the side window of the small car as it passed.
    He pulled out onto the highway, keeping enough distance between them that they wouldn’t become suspicious. At least they had no reason to be looking for him in a VW camper. He hadn’t followed them very far when they slowed down and pulled into the entrance of a park containing redwood trees—the trees Alfred had told Mattie he wanted to see. Now he would get to see them.
    Alfred pulled in behind them and was careful to park some distance away from their car. He saw them walk off along one of the paths that led through the groves of big trees. He couldn’t follow them on foot without risking being seen. In addition, there were a few other people in the park. Not many, but enough to scotch any plans he might have had.
    Alfred sat in his car and pondered his next move.