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arrived in the lobby her hair was freshly brushed, pulled back from her
face, and she was dressed beautifully, in crisp white linen slacks, a yellow shirt
and a beige woven bag slung over her shoulder. If anyone saw her it would have
simply seemed as if she were simply a happy tourist, going out for an afternoon
to take in the sights.
    “You
look lovely,” Cindy commented, taken aback, as Loretta approached.
    “Thanks,”
Loretta answered pleasantly. Then, seeing the surprise in Cindy’s eyes, she
flinched. “I like looking good, it’s part of my business.  What good would it
do me to have my makeup smeared, or my hair tangled in knots?” Loretta looked
at Cindy angrily.
    “None
at all,” said Cindy softly, trying to calm her once again.
     I
called you down to help me,” Loretta jumped back in, “so you have to know who I
am.  I’m not going to let Pete’s death take me down. He wouldn’t have wanted me
to buckle, he had more guts than anyone I ever knew.”
    Cindy
didn’t know what to make of Loretta’s demeanor. Was she just incredibly brave
or  completely in denial? Cindy found it interesting to hear more about Pete.
She wanted to find out how Loretta really felt about him, their marriage,
everything.
    Loretta
lead Cindy through the front door of the hotel and then waved at the cab she
had waiting for them.
    “People
come from all over to see the Humpback Whales do their thing,” said Loretta as
they piled into the large taxi. “They’re incredibly beautiful, I can’t wait for
you to see them.”
    “I’m
excited too,” said Cindy, trying to get into the mood Loretta was creating, two
old college friends going for an adventure, happy to see each other again.
    The
cab whirled away from the hotel and wound through the main streets to roads
that sprawled and dipped into the soft belly of island.
    “Where
exactly are we going?” Cindy was fascinated, and glad to be heading into the
countryside. It was a welcome respite for her, as well.
    “We’re
going to a peninsula where Humpback Whales come from as far as Greenland.” Loretta
seemed relieved to be talking about it, seemed to know a lot. “The whales take
a journey here to mate and calve. I’ve been here before and it’s amazing to
watch them. It  takes your mind off everything.”
    “I
can imagine,” said Cindy.
    “Pete
loved doing stuff like this,” Loretta added.  “Pete loved all kinds of wild
life.  If he’s looking down and watching me now he’ll be glad to see where I’m
headed.”
    Cindy
was glad to hear the comment, it was important for Loretta to absorb the fact
that Pete was gone.
    “I
saw photos of Pete on his Facebook page with wild life of all kinds,” Cindy
commented.
    “Right,”
Loretta chimed in immediately. “He loved going on those kinds of vacations,
always talked about the endangered species and what we could do to save them.”
    “Did
you go with him?” asked Cindy, looking for a way to uncover more.
    “Sometimes,”
Loretta shrugged slightly. “A lot of the time he went with guy friends. It was
a guy thing. I was fine with it, those trips were a little too rugged for me.”
    “You
didn’t miss him when he was gone?” Cindy was quick on the uptake.
    Loretta
threw Cindy an odd glance. “Not really,” she said, “the boutique keeps me going
all the time. We’re famous. There are always new customers, showings, photographic
displays, parties of all kinds.”
    “You’ve
built a little empire for yourself,” Cindy remarked.
    Loretta
looked grateful.  “Thank you,” she said, enjoying the recognition.
    “I
suppose Pete was fine with it?” Cindy added.
    “More
than fine with it,” Loretta said. “He was proud of my shop, proud of me. Pete
encouraged me to do whatever I wanted. He was the most incredible husband
anyone could ever want.”
    Cindy
said nothing, just looked at Loretta keenly. But, Loretta immediately turned
her face away, looking out of the taxi window at the incredibly lush