Achingly Alice Read online

  Lester and Carol took in the situation immediately.

  “Dad, Aunt Sal,” Lester said, looking as serious as he could without laughing, “Carol and I have something to tell you.”

  Carol took over. She reached for Lester’s arm, put her cheek against his shoulder for a moment, and said, “Les and I are engaged. We can’t keep our love a secret any longer.”

  Aunt Sally plopped down in a chair, looking dazed. Was it possible, I wondered, that she thought they were serious?

  “You’re … you’re cousins!” Aunt Sally gasped. “You can’t marry!”

  “Oh, we’ll find a state where it’s legal, Mom,” Carol said.

  “Or we could elope,” added Lester, his voice cracking a little, the way it does when he’s trying not to laugh.

  Dad still didn’t say anything. I think he figured that if he just shut up and listened, he’d know whether to worry or not.

  “When did you decide all this? Carol, you never said a word to me!” Aunt Sally continued.

  “Oh, we’ve been writing back and forth,” Carol said, “and Les writes the most beautiful love letters!”

  Aunt Sally jerked around and glared at Dad as though it were all his fault.

  “Don’t look at me, Sal. I’m in the dark here,” Dad told her.

  Aunt Sally faced Lester and Carol again. “Have you set a date?” she asked.

  She did believe them! I laughed out loud, and Aunt Sally turned on me next.

  “Did you know anything about this?” she asked.

  “Only that I get to be one of the bridesmaids,” I kidded, looking serious again.

  “And don’t forget to give me your measurements, Alice, so I can order your dress,” Carol said, winking at me.

  We kept it up for the next five minutes until things got so outrageous that Aunt Sally began to guess, and Dad looked relieved. We never came right out and said we’d been teasing, and I think Dad wished we hadn’t started it in the first place.

  I couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad for him just then. The trouble with being part of an “in” joke or an “in” crowd is that there has to be somebody who’s “out.” And you never know how that feels, I guess, until it happens to you.