Machine Dreams

mornings, then drive back to Lynchburg and participate in panty raids all week. Riley spoke of Lynchburg as a draft dodger’s last resort. Then, seriously, he’d say he wouldn’t mind serving his country and planned to enroll in ROTC at Lynchburg. He would have gone to school in Bellington if his grades had been good enough. Danner wasn’t sure he’d stick to it.
    She touched the sides of the globular metal pitcher. The metal was ice-cold and sweating; Danner concentrated on the feel of it. Sometimes she sat on the back patio of her house alone and looked at the fields, wondering how far she’d travel from this exact place. She didn’t talk about such feelings to Riley. His mind just wasn’t like hers. He acted so sure of himself, yet he was capable of crying in front of a girl, and begging. Once he’d gone out with someone else, and Danner had refused to see him again. Riley had talked her into going for a drive, then he pulled off the road in a deserted spot and wept as though beside himself with grief. The scene went on nearly an hour. She should forgive him, he said; no one would ever love her again as much as he did. Thinking of the episode always made Danner uneasy. If she ever told Riley she wanted to stop seeing him, he wouldn’t accept it. He’d say she was wrong, he didn’t believe her, that they belonged together. More and more, Danner felt protective toward him, and guilty. Just a year ago, he’d seemed so powerful. Dressed well, in soft V-neck sweaters and madras shirts that smelled of clean cotton, he was a smooth dancer. A basketball player, popular with girls. With his friends he was cocky, a good-natured braggart. But he wasn’t like that with Danner. Sometimes he was considerate in the extreme, as though she were special or different from other people. Twice they’d gone to formal dances. Riley had actually covered a path through the garage, and the floor of his shining Mustang, with white sheets so Danner wouldn’t dirty the hem of her gown. Mitch had watched, shaking his head in pleased amusement. Danner blinked, remembering her father’s expression in the car.
Nothing, Hon.
When Danner was a little kid, Mitch had called her Princess.
    “Excuse me, Miss?” The head minister beckoned Danner.
    She walked close to him and bent over to hear. He smelled strongly of Old Spice, the same scent her father and brother wore.
    “Right after the dishes are cleared,” he said, “before dessert, we’re going to present a little performance.”
    “A performance?”
    “Yes, it’ll just take a few minutes. You might tell the other girls.” He smiled into her eyes and touched the edge of his plate. “It’s an entertainment, a sort of farewell.”
    “Oh.” A farewell to whom? Danner nodded as though sheunderstood, and took his plate. He smiled again, as if he’d confided a secret. Behind his slightly spotty glasses, his eyes were light blue and long-lashed. He was energetic and broad-shouldered, probably one of the men Danner had watched running, but she could never tell one minister from another if they weren’t dressed in their suits.
    The other girls, seeing Danner clear the head table, began to gather plates. Some of the ministers weren’t finished eating; they lowered their heads discreetly and ate faster as the waitresses worked their way closer. Danner looked around for the manager; luckily, he was in the kitchen. She tried to signal Lee Ann to go more slowly but it was no use; well, best to keep going. When the manager came out, the tables would already be cleared and the ministers waiting quietly for dessert. A good thing about ministers was that they seldom complained.
    Danner had taken all the plates and was stacking them when the head minister stood, tapping his glass with his spoon.
    “Attention, troops,” he said, and glanced in Danner’s direction. “Since this is our last big meal together and the conference ends tomorrow, we’d like to take this opportunity to thank the kitchen crew and the waitresses for their excellent service.”
    Danner looked down, embarrassed, and hurried to finish loading the tray. It all had to be loaded carefully or the dishes would topple when she tried to stand. The other girls kept working as well, and the minister held up both hands. “Stay where you are, girls, please. Since we’re told financial compensation isn’t in order, we’d like to thank you for your hard work by offering a bit of entertainment.” The four men nearest