Page 44 (1/2)

―Jenna, stop!‖ he cried ―Don‘t go any further, don’t--!‖

I was gasping, pulling in lungfuls of air Spiky branches cut and whipped at my naked face Wood snapped and broke beneath round fell away and I staggered,out for balance as I stumbled the last few feet down the dip at the shoreline and spilled onto the lake

―Jenna!‖ Mitch called again ― No!‖

The snoasn‘t as deep, maybe only six inches, maybe less because of the wind that snatched fistfuls away during the day

The surface was crustier, too, because of sun odown and then pushing off as I plowed across My boots dragged furrows through the snow and then I was a third of the way across, almost at the middle and--

POP

Oh, Bob

c

I froze

I, literally, honestly, froze in mid-stride, one boot above the snow, the other still planted on the ice, ood runner should

POP

CRACK!

Then a long grinding groan, like Mitch, inside h that went on and on and on: OOOooooohhh

Soh, inarticulate exhalation--and even now I think, yes, that‘s what I sounded like when Mitch and I were together, and for the briefest of er there but defined only by the liht

Crack Crack crack

I was afraid toI couldn‘t breathe

―Jenna‖ Mitch sounded close Was he on the ice, too? I was too scared to put my foot down much less turn around ―Jenna, honey, listen to me, do exactly what I say‖

―Mitch?‖ A film of cold sweat bathed my face I closed my eyes and sed I wondered if the icy water would burn I wondered if I would die fast this tiht here, Jenna I‘m only fifty feet away I won‘t leave--‖

―Don‘t leave me, Mitch, don‘t leave me!‖

―I won‘t leave you, sweetheart I love you; I‘ll never leave you But you have to listen Are you listening?‖

―Yes‖ I was crying--fro‖

―The ice is too thin You have to come back the way you caet off the ice together, all right?‖

―Yes‖ I sed, gasped again as the ice popped ―Okay‖

―Put your foot down, honeyslow, slowthat‘s it, good girl Now, Jenna, I want you to lie down‖

My voice thinned to a wheeze ―Lie down?‖

―Yes Lie down on your stos as far as you can, and then you‘ll turn around‖

―Mitch, I‖ I gulped ―I don‘t think I can do that‖

―You have to, honey Please It‘s the only way You have to redistribute your weight so the ice can hold you Then you‘ll turn around and shi knees creaked The ice popped and groaned My teeth were chattering My whole body was shaking as if I would never be warain, exactly the way Mitch had felt in the abyss at Rubicon Point But I did what Mitch said: first led in the sno I could see the fissures in the snow, radiating out from my body in all directions The ice under irl,‖ Mitch said ―Now turn yourself around very, veryslow, honey, slowI‘ anywhere, you don‘t have to hur--‖

CRACK

Aback the way I‘d come

Maybe thirty feet away, Mitch was on his sto carefully fro and snapping with every ashes in the snow and realized: the ice was breaking and ripping apart under hiasped ―The i-ice‖

―I know, honey It‘ll be okay,‖ he said evenly But I saw his face I had seen Mitch happy, tender, rapturous, sad, and not five uilty and full of remorse But I had never, ever seen him scared to death ―When I throw out rab hold Is there any way you can get your boots off?‖

―My b-b-b-b?‖

―Yes Your boots are heavy and so is your parka If you break through, I don‘t know if I‘ll be able to hang on to you‖ He didn‘t say that I et those boots off, but every time I reached back, the ice complained and Mitch told an, ―you won‘t--‖

―I won‘t let go of you, Jenna I will never let go, I promise,‖ Mitch said The sun had cleared the trees and ar the snow and ice Mitch ski down his cheeks ―Okay, honey, we‘ve got to move now Come on, start back toward me and I‘ll back up with you We‘ll be--‖ Snap Pop ―We‘ll be on the shore in no time‖

I did what he said, with my fists knotted in the sleeve of his sheepskin coat, the coat that had kept ave up now for me, without hesitation, just as he always had and alould

I’ht in front of you