Page 185 - Where the Dream Ends ebook

Ships in the Night

“Promise?” Eddie asked, reaching for her hands as she got
up to leave.

“Promise.” She bent over to kiss him. Her lips were moist
and her tongue darted about in his mouth mischievously.

“Later,” she said, pulling away. She ran off before Eddie had
a chance to say another word.

* * *

On the drive home, Eddie started to tremble. At first it was
only a quiver; then it became more like a shudder; finally, his
whole body was convulsing so hard he had to pull off to the
side of the road. The temperature must have been 80 degrees,
but Eddie was cold. He hugged the steering wheel for several
minutes until the flashing lights of a police car snapped him
back to reality. A state trooper got out of the patrol car and ap-
proached Eddie with a flashlight. He pointed it at Eddie’s face.

“May I see your license and registration?” He wasn’t bellig-
erent, but his tone of voice was enough to make Eddie forget
about whatever it was that put him into such an anxious state.

Eddie reached into his pocket for his wallet and removed
his license. He opened the glove compartment and shuffled
through a stack of papers until he found the car’s registration.
He handed them both to the policeman, who examined them
under the flashlight.

“Is anything wrong?” Eddie asked.

“You tell me,” the trooper said, pointing the flashlight at
Eddie’s face again. Eddie winced.

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