Chapter Two—Kinda Weird

     Robin arrived at the hotel about 30 minutes later. Rob was sitting at a table all by himself, drinking a glass of milk. He stood up and smiled when she came over. “Are you hungry? I was waiting for you to see if you wanted something.”
     “Yes, I’m famished. I was supposed to eat at my friend’s house, so I haven’t had anything since lunch.”
     Rob motioned for the waitress to come over and she took their orders. Robin and he looked at one another. “This is kinda weird, isn’t it,” he said.
     Robin smiled. “Yeah. I mean, you came back from the grave. I thought you were dead.”
     “Well, I would have come to see you, but I couldn’t before the pardon. And now…” He shook his head. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do.”
     Robin looked at him closely. “Are you going to stay?”
     He met her eyes. “Do you want me to?”
     “Do you want to?”
     He gave her a soft smile. “Why do you think I came here? I had to find out, Robin. I never forgot you, I never quit thinking about you. If you have somebody else, I’ll ride on. But I just had to find out if…that night and day we spent together was as special to you as it was to me. Please be honest with me. I’ll go, if that would be the best thing for you.”
     Robin replied, “All the things you said—about that being a special night and day, not forgetting you, thinking about you…all that was true for me as well. But, Rob, you’d stay? I mean, after learning…?” She let it hang.
     “Robin, you didn’t do anything. Don’t feel so guilty about it. And even if you had, it doesn’t matter. The past is the past. I can’t bring Julie back. I can’t give the money back that I robbed from people, though it wasn’t that much, really. But I still did it. I killed some people, Wilson Brant and some of his thugs, that I thought needed killing. But I did it out of revenge. It really wasn’t necessary because it didn’t bring Julie back.” He shook his head. “Right or wrong, necessary or not, I did it and I can’t take it back. I’ve got a lot more to feel guilty about than you do, that’s for sure.”
     Robin was a bit morose. But I would have done it…for Aunt Martha…I would have had to…I guess that’s what I feel guilty about…Oh, thank you thank you thank you for coming back, Rob…you have no idea what you saved me from…”Well, thanks for understanding,” is all she said. It was all she could think of to say at the moment.
     Rob nodded. “I’d like to stay and try, Robin. You and me. We don’t know, we spent so little time together. I just know that you were…special. At least, special enough to where, if I ever had a chance and if you wanted to as well, then…I want to see what will happen.”
     “I want that, too, Rob. I want you to stay. I can’t make any promises and I’m not asking you for any, either. But I want to see as well what that night and day meant.” And she smiled. “And I want you to meet Aunt Martha. I think she’ll love you.”
     He made a face. “If I remember correctly, you weren’t terribly thrilled to be going to see her.”
     “Things have…changed. Probably more me than her. I’m a little older now than I was before.”
     “Well, she is, too. Probably a little of both of you.”
     “Maybe so.”
     They ate and they talked. I’m falling deeper in love with this woman by the minute...

     Robin looked at him, smiling. I’m so glad he’s here. I don’t want him to ever leave again…