B&C III - 4

Brian and Christine
Book Three
Saint Jane's
Part 4


“How did the two of you make it through that terrible situation?”

“I’ll give you the answer I give to everyone who asks, because it’s the only answer. We stayed together and we kept going. That is the only explanation.”

“Did you know where you were going?”

“No. I thought, at first, that there would be some sort of building, a ski lodge or something, but it was total wilderness.”

Christy passed through the room with Brian’s sweater and took it on to Mrs. Romero

“Did you think about giving up?” Louise continued. “Pardon me Brian, I know you better than that, but I’m just curious.”

“Oh, I gave up a few times, particularly after several days when I was in such pain and it looked like we weren’t getting anywhere. And Christy gave up a couple of times. But we pulled each other out of it.”

“Do you think you could have made it by yourself?”

“I don’t know. Probably not.”

“Well. I don’t know, but it seems to me you owe a lot to each.other.”

“I guess we do, yes.”

“Why don’t you keep her?”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Her aunt and uncle signed a contract with this Saint Jane’s Home For Girls. I’ve already spoken with the den mother over there, if Christy doesn’t show up she’ll be breaking the contract. There could be a big legal hassle. Her folks could get into a lot of trouble. Me too.”

“Why don’t one of you adopt her?”

“That may not be possible because of our ages” said Wendy. “But it’s worth looking into, I guess.”

“Well” said Brian, “I’ll get her over there, get her in and set up with the home, see that she’s okay and has everything she needs, arrange for some visits, and then maybe I’ll look into it.”

“Good” said Louise. “I think you and Christy belong together.”

For the rest of the day Christy busied herself with her art tools, checking out the colors of the pencils and pastels, drawing with the charcoal and seeing what the erasers could do. Brian paid back the $400 Louise had sent him when he was still in Buffalo Gap and then went to work on his script. Jason and Louise made arrangements for going back east. Wendy called her boss Tom Wong and filled him in and then said that she had to go over to her office. She agreed to come back the next day and help Brian move Christy into Saint Jane’s, then she left.

The next morning Christy packed her new clothes and her art supplies in her two new suitcases. Wendy showed up at about noon. Louise and Jason said goodbye to Christy and wished her well. They said farewell to Wendy and the Romeros and got in the cab they had called. Brian, against his heart, his will and his intuition, picked up the phone and called Saint Jane’s Home For Girls.



(To be continued.)