The Night Listener : A Novel

something to soften the blow of my rude invasion. And I would feel more rested then, ready to face whatever it was that awaited me.
    I turned and walked away briskly, heading back the way I’d come.
    The relief I felt was enormous, but only temporary, since I couldn’t resist the temptation to look back at Donna one more time. She had stopped halfway down her front walk and was facing toward me with a new expression on her face. Had she been sighted, I would have known right away that the game was over. As it was, I had to wait for the sound of her voice: “Come now, Gabriel, aren’t you going to say hello?”
     
    TWENTY-FOUR

    THE IDEA OF HIM

    MY FIRST THOUGHT, irrational as it sounds, was that she wasn’t really blind; that the guide dog and the harness and the careful mannerisms were just a clever ruse to flush out the people who might be tempted to exploit such limiting circumstances. People like me, for instance.
    But when I got closer and caught the dull pewter sheen of her eyes, the reality was undeniable. I was so lost for a response that I heard myself affecting a tone of jovial astonishment, as if we were old friends from college who’d just bumped into each other in a crowded European airport: “ Donna? ”
    Her reaction was laughter, deservedly enough, a throaty chuckle that might have reassured me if it had not raised the hairs on the back of my neck. “Save us both the trouble,” she said. “Hank told me you were here.”
    Hank? Who was that?
    She read my confusion and explained: “The clerk at the Mail ‘n’ More. He called me as soon as you left. Said some guy from California was asking about me. I figured you’d turn up eventually.”
    “I’m so sorry, Donna.” My effort to sound sincere was undermined by the distracting thought that guide dogs might also be trained to attack. Janus seemed friendly enough, but he had a sort of wait-and-see gleam in his eyes that worried me. “I know how this looks,” I went on. “I tried to reach you by phone, but you were disconnected and…I really didn’t mean to…”
    “Right.”
    “I heard you up the block here. Talking to the dog. But I wasn’t sure if it was you or just somebody who…”
    “Oh, please,” she said wearily. “You heard me at Plato’s.”
    “Where?”
    “The restaurant. You were in the next booth. And you’ve been following me ever since.” The corner of her mouth flickered in private amusement. “I took the scenic route just for you.” I managed a feeble laugh.
    “Never knew you had such fans, huh? Way up here in the frozen north.” I assumed that she meant her neighbor, which suggested that her own remark about my productivity had been uttered in the knowledge that I could hear it. He hasn’t done anything new for ages .
    “I guess there’s a lot I don’t know,” I said. “I’m really sorry if I—”
    “Don’t be so contrite,” she said, “or I won’t believe you. It’s important that I believe you right now.”
    “I understand.”
    “Where are you staying? The Lake-Vue?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Are you alone?”
    “Yeah.” Boy, was I alone.
    “How long had you planned on staying?”
    “Only as long as you wanted me to.” I knew I was sounding like a whipped puppy again, but I couldn’t help it. Her blindness not-withstanding, there was something about her carriage that was so commanding. “I could come back in the morning, Donna.” She shrugged with weary resignation. “What difference would it make now?” It’s funny how a little word like now can sow a subliminal seed that will grow into something unthinkable in a matter of minutes.
    It’s not that I caught her implication—I didn’t—but I could feel a new presence deep in my bones, already stirring to life, already sinking its terrible roots.
    “I may be out of line,” I said, “but I feel as if we’ve shared something. And I thought maybe if…you saw me…I mean… met me…” A whisper of a smile. “I’m seeing you just fine.” I couldn’t tell if this was sweet or sardonic—or a little of both.
    “I’m not nearly as stupid as I’m acting,” I told her.
    “Then don’t I get a hug?”
    This offer was so unexpected that I had to rummage for words.
    “Well, yeah…sure…of course.” I moved closer and embraced her from the left side to avoid disrupting the dog. I caught a pleasant scent—lavender, I decided—and her cheek felt calmingly warm and smooth as it grazed mine. I imagined Pete meeting her for