"Hey, Zach. Come on in. Nola's upstairs getting ready." Bridget says as she opens up the boarding house door.

"Okay. You look very... nice," Zachary says to Bridget who is wearing a red, short, low-cut, evening dress.

"Thanks. You look nice too. Is that the tux you wore to your prom . . . last year?"

"Bridget, do you think Nola is almost ready?"

"Relax. She'll be down in a minute. If I know Nola, she's probablyup there putting on little, white anklet socks to go with her highheels."

"Excuse me?"

"That's very 'Early-Madonna'. Poor Nola. She's still stuck in the Eighties."

At that moment Nola descends the stairs looking anything but 'stuckin the Eighties'. She's dressed in a dark brown, form-fitting, elegantdress.

"You look beautiful, Nola," Zachary says, sounding very awe-struck.

"Yeah, you do." Bridget says almost shocked. My God, your dress,your hose and your shoes, even your lipstick, all actually match. Andno little, white anklet socks."

"They say, brown is the color for fall," Nola answers. "But youknow, I don't think I've ever wore lipstick this dark before. The ladyat the makeup counter said it's called, 'Rapture in Raisin'. . . Well,are we all ready to go?"

"Oh, I'm going to meet you there, Nola," Bridget says. "I'm goingover to the dig site to pick up your husband, Quinton, remember him?I'll meet you at the club. You too are coming straight over to theclub, aren't you?"

"I suppose so," Nola answers.

"Well, bye for now, " Bridget says walking out. And if you twoaren't headed straight for the club, then don't do anything I wouldn'tdo."

"Bridget, I'm sure that would be a very short list," Nola quickly returns.

After Bridget has walked out, Nola asks Zachary, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I made you a promise, and I always keep my promises."

"Then, okay, let's go. I do believe we have a date to keepwith one Quinton R. Chamberlain.*************************

Nola and Zachary arrive at the club first. They are seated and sitquietly waiting for Bridget and Quinton to arrive. It is evident thatNola is very nervous.

When Bridget and Quinton do walk in, Nola's eyes glass over.

Zachary asks her, "Are you okay, Nola? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Nola whose eyes are froze on the sight of Quinton in a white tuxedosays, "I have seen a ghost. The ghost of Quintons past."

to be continued

"Are you going to be okay with this, Nola?" Zachary asks with genuine concern.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to introduce my boyfriend, I mean mypretend boyfriend to my husband. Why would I be upset about somethingas simple as that?"

"Nola, remember Quinton is your soon-to-be ex-husband."

"Yeah, whatever."

Quinton and Bridget walk over to the table. And for a very awkward moment, no one speaks.

"Nola," Quinton begins timidly, "You look . . . absolutely beautiful. And that dress . . . "

"Oh, this old thing, It was just lying around in my closet. Uh,Quinton, I want to introduce you to someone. Quinton, this is Lance.Lance this is Quinton."

Zachary stands up and puts out his hand and at first Quinton doesnot take it, instead he just stands there not moving or speaking."

"Quinton, Nola calls out, "aren't you going to say hello? Aren't you going to say anything at all?"

Quinton seems to come back to his senses and says, "Please, excuse me. Hello, Lance. How nice to finally meet you."

Nola can't help but notice that Quinton says the name 'Lance' with almost the same exact tone as he used to say "Kelly Nelson".

Bridget is still just standing there, and finally says, clearing her throat, "Hmmmm."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bridget," Quinton says as he pulls out her chair.

Quinton can't seem to take his eyes off his soon to be ex-wife."Nola, I can't believe I haven't seen you all week. I was hoping thatyou would have stopped by the dig site. You know you're welcome thereanytime."

"Well, I have been busy. Did I tell you I've gone back to school?"

"Really. That's great. I've always been after you to do that. What are you taking?"

"Oh, a few basic classics for right now, maybe an elective here or there."

"Isn't this great, how we can all sit here and have a civilconversation. There's not many couples that could handle dinner withthe wife's new boyfriend," Bridget says with an air of mischievousness.

Quinton, Nola, and Zachary look very distressed after that remark.

Quinton trying to recover says, "Nola, I've been meaning to ask you, have you seen Vanessa lately?"

"No, I think she's been busy with work and all."

"Well, every time I call her, she's out and then she never returns my calls. I know we were never all that close, but it would be nice tosee my sister again. Is there anything going on with her? Anything thatI should know about?"

Nola and Zachary cast a worried glance at each other.

"Nola, would you like to dance," Zachary asks trying to make a quick exit from the table.

Nola starts to answer him, "I would love . . . "

"Excuse, me Lance," Quinton interrupts, "but I hope you don't mind,if I could have the first dance with my wife. For old times sake."

"Of course."

Nola and Quinton head to the dance floor, and cautiously begin todance together with Nola putting a large space in between them.

"Nola, that's not really necessary. I'm not going to bite you."

"Yeah, that's right. You weren't really a vampire, were you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Never mind. I guess it wouldn't hurt to be close to you for just this one dance.

Slowly Nola begins to let herself sink into Quinton's arms and she immediately begins to relax, almost against her own will. For a moment neither one of them speaks.

And then Quinton says, "Nola, holding you in my arms, it's like . . . being home again."

"Don't read too much into it Quint. It's just a physical response oftwo old bodies that have grown use to each other. But then again, youdo tend to give into your physical responses, don't you?"

"Nola, that's not really fair."

"Quinton, life isn't fair. Get over it. Come to thing of it, getover me. I'm not going through this any more." "I'm going back to thetable," Nola says, attempting to free herself from Quinton's arms.

"Now wait just a minute, young lady. You said you would dance withme, and this dance is not over," Quinton says refusing to let go histight grasp of Nola.

"Young lady?" Nola asks almost softly. No one else ever calls me that, not any more, at least."

They return to dancing and are quiet again for a moment, but of course it doesn't last.

"Nola, speaking of physical responses, I can't help but notice that'young' man of yours looks at you like he is about one second fromripping your clothes off."

"He does? I mean of course, he does. But Zachary and I have so much more than a physical relationship."

"Who's Zachary, Nola?"

"My boyfriend."

"But I thought his name was Lance?"

Nola hesitates for a moment but quickly recovers. "Lance is his last name. Yeah, that's it. Zachary Lance."

"You call your boyfriend by his last name."

"Now Quint, I seem to recall making out on a beach in St Croix, with someone that I wasn't on a first name basis with."

That old familiar smile flashes across Quinton's face as he says,"Yes, I do recall that. "Nola, sometimes I wish we could just get in atime-machine and go back to that time. What I wouldn't give to hearthat sweet voice of yours say, 'Mr. McCord', once more."

"Well, I wouldn't go back to those days for anything in this world.All those secrets you were always hiding from me. And having to share ahouse with Helena, and Rebecca. Quinton, you practically had your own private little harem, didn't you?"

"Now, Nola, you know I only had eyes for you."

"I like to believe that."

"And besides, all that aggravation with trying to keep the three of you from killing each other. I think that's when I developed my ulcer."

"How is that? You're not still eating spicy food are you?. You know what the doctor said."

"Isn't this too rich? Quinton R. Chamberlain, once great adventurer,now an old man with an ulcer. But you Nola, you haven't slipped a bit."

"I don't know if I would say that."

"I would." A strange, disturbed looks comes over Quinton's face, ashe almost yells "Dammit Nola! I just can't do it any more!"

"Do what any more, Quint?"

"Pretend that I'm not still madly in love with you. Nola, when Icame back for my father's funeral it was all I could do to keep myself from falling on my knees, begging your forgiveness, and then rippingyour clothes off and ravishing you."

"And I'm sure your girlfriend, Jessica would have been thrilled by that little display."

"My girlfriend Jessica! My girlfriend Jessica! If I hear that one more time I think I will go insane. Nola, this is probably the mostselfish thing I've ever done, but I can't help it. I think it's time you knew the truth about 'my girlfriend Jessica'."

To be continued

"Nola, Jessica was never my girl friend."

"Sorry, maybe I'm not familiar with what they're calling it thesedays. Should I say Significant Other? Or how about Bed Buddy?"

"Jessica was never anything to me."

"Quinton, I don't really feel like rehashing all this with you,right now. Especially not here on the dance floor of the country club.People are starting to stare, and I don't like it. My name's not Reva,you know."

"Okay, I'll lower my voice, but you are going to stay here and listen to what I should have told you a long time ago. The only thingthat ever went on between Jessica and me was a . . . badly bungled attempt at a one-night stand, and . . . I'm not even sure if even thatmuch happened."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nola, when Jessica first came to work for me, I thought she was asweet, intelligent girl. And I have to admit I did enjoy her company.She laughed at all my jokes; she was interested in my work. But youhave to believe me, I never considered her anything more than a friend,someone I could talk to."

"Someone you could talk to? Forgive me, but I thought that's what a wife was for."

"Yes I had you, Nola, but then again I didn't have you. You changedafter Maureen's death. There was almost a curtain of pain around you,and you wouldn't allow me to lift it."

Nola says, as tears come to her eyes, "No one could have done that."

"But you could have at least let me try. I would have done anythingfor you. Given you anything. But then after Gracie's visit, when it didlook as if you were coming out of it and returning to your old self,then I couldn't . . . couldn't give you the one thing that you didwant."

"I don't want to talk about Maureen's....death. I don't want to talk about any of that."

"I just want you to understand why . . . "

"Why you fell in love with Jessica."

"I didn't fall in love with Jessica. Perhaps I did let her get moreinvolved in my life than I should have, but I never wanted anythingphysical from her."

"I don't understand."

"Nola, all I know is that one night when you were out with the kids,Jessica and I were in my study. I was drinking. I guess I had taken todrinking it a little too much and a little too often back then. But Iwas only trying to chase away the fear that I had that I was losingyou. Anyway, that night I asked Jessica to join me in a glass of wine.We were just sitting there talking and the next thing I remember isthat Jessica... kissed me."

"I really don't want to here anymore of this."

"But Nola, that is the last thing I remember. I don't know how muchtime passed before I woke up, to find my clothes undone, and Jessica .. . naked. I was so shocked and I couldn't remember anything that hadwent on."

"Oh, great, Quint. Now you're telling me that you have developed sexual amnesia?"

"Please just let me finish, As I was saying, the only thing I couldassume was that I had drank too much and had lost control. Jessica wasabsolutely ecstatic about the whole thing. She kept saying that I hadtold her I loved her more than I had loved anyone else. I tried to tellher it had all been a terrible mistake, but she wouldn't listen. Andshe said that she was going to tell you every thing that had happened.

"Is that why you told me about it?"

"Yes, I thought it would be better coming from me, but Nola, that's not the only reason I told you what happened. I was filled with so much remorse, and guilt. But then it occurred to me that perhaps some goodcould come out of the whole sordid affair. I thought that maybe if Itold you what I assumed had went on between Jessica and me, if I led you to believe that it had been going on for sometime, then perhaps, Iwould be able to at least give you the one thing I had left to give you- your freedom."

To be continued