As Eleanor stormed out Tom raced over, but Lelia grabbed him. "Did you hear what she said to me?"

Tom stopped and watched as Eleanor disappeared down the hall.

"Tom, did you hear me?"

He finally looked at her. "Lelia."

"What?"

"Shut up."

Lelia seemed poised to erupt at him, but she simply spun around on her heels and left.

As Tom's world was collapsing, Roxanne stood up and said to Max, "Okay, baby, let's cut to the chase." She held up her script pages. "This stuff is okay, but I'm gonna need some wiggle room to improvise."

"Wiggle room? Improvise?" said Max nervously.

"Yeah, you know, do some things on the fly, play off the energy of the crowd."

"But it's a wedding, Roxanne. And preparation is the key to any successful project like this. I've got all the songs I want you to sing listed and in due sequence."

Steve and Julie just looked anxiously at the pair as they squared off.

"I'll be prepared, but you can't cage the wild bird, Max. You got to let the wild bird fly when it wants to, or else it dies."

"But-"

She put a hand on Max's shoulder. "Look here, baby, you trust me, don't you?"

"Well, sure, but-"

"Then that's all I need to know." She turned to Steve and Julie and patted their hands. "Now you two get a good night's sleep. This train will be rocking tomorrow, in your honor. I promise you one thing, you're never gonna forget Roxanne Jordan and the Southwest Chief."

As people started to trickle away, Tom stood there looking so miserable that Max finally came over to him. "You look like you could use another drink." Max mixed two c.o.c.ktails and the men sat down.

"So, that Roxanne is great, isn't she?"

"Yeah, great," said Tom distractedly.

Max slapped Tom on the thigh. "Sorry there wasn't a girl popping out of a cake at the bachelor party. I didn't think it would be appropriate with the ladies present, and, to tell you the truth, Amtrak probably would have balked at that one."

Tom finally focused on the director. "So, you - what - dated dated Lelia?" Lelia?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it dating, actually. It was just the one time, as far as I can remember. My memory is not what it was. Hey, did I I hear right? Lelia asked you to marry her?" hear right? Lelia asked you to marry her?"

Tom nodded.

"Man, I guess women do that these days. So does that mean if you divorce she has to pay you you alimony?" alimony?"

"She won't have to pay me anything because we're not getting married."

"Look, Tom, I'm not trying to b.u.t.t in or anything, but Lelia is is beautiful, and doesn't she do some cartoon thing that brings her big bucks?" beautiful, and doesn't she do some cartoon thing that brings her big bucks?"

"Cuppy the Magic Beaver, Freddy the Futon, Petey the Pickle."

"Right, Cuppy, Petey, that's good stuff. I think one of my exwife's step-grandkids used to watch it. Anyway, okay, she's beautiful, she's got bucks, and she asked you to marry her. So don't rush your decision, you might not get another chance. No offense, you're a good-looking guy and I like you, but you're not exactly a spring chicken anymore either."

"You're right, she's rich, she's beautiful - and I don't love her, Max."

Max sat back against his seat and let out a long sigh. "I've done the deed four times now. Who knows - maybe there's a fifth in the works for me."

"And you loved them all?"

The director leaned forward and his expression grew somber. "Patty was my first wife, married right out of high school. I joined the army, then moved to California. We had four kids. We were dirt poor but she never complained, not once. She could stretch a buck further than anyone I've ever met. I broke into the movie business. I was just starting to make it when she died." Max grew quiet, looked out the window at the pa.s.sing countryside. "Yeah, I loved Patty with everything I had. I'll always love Patty. My three exwives?" He shrugged. "I married them, had some good times, divorced them, and that was it. I loved them, in a way. But not like Patty. If she'd lived I'd never have even looked at another woman. I guess there's something special about your first love. Now I just play the field and I have fun, but I'm not all that proud of it. None of it's permanent. You know?"

Tom nodded. "I know."

Max looked at Tom. "You ever been married?" Tom nodded again. "Did you love her?"

"Let's put it this way: She was no Patty."

Max drew closer to Tom and said in a low voice, "Again, I'm not trying to b.u.t.t in, but can you answer a question for me?"

"I guess."

"Why aren't you and Eleanor together?"

"You saw what happened. She just stormed out of here."

"Well, you can't blame her really. Your girlfriend flies in from LA to propose. Now, G.o.d knows I'm no expert in affairs of the heart, but that's not exactly the ideal way to win back the love of your life."

"I've tried, Max, I've really tried."

"Well, you know what?"

Tom looked at him. "What?"

"If she's really your your Patty, I'd try harder." Patty, I'd try harder."

chapter twenty-five.

Eleanor was back in her compartment about to swallow a sleeping pill of enormous diameter when someone knocked on her door.

"Go away," she yelled.

"Eleanor? It's me."

She looked blank for a moment, trying to identify the voice through the dulled filters of her very overwrought mind.

"Julie?" She went to the door and opened it, and there stood the young bride-to-be, tears in her eyes. She was holding a long garment bag.

"What's the matter? Steve's parents didn't call again, did they?"

Julie shook her head. "And neither did mine."

Eleanor looked confused. "I'm not sure I understand."

"Can I come in for a few minutes?"

"What? Oh, um, sure." Eleanor slipped the knockout pill in her pocket. "But it's late and you have a big day tomorrow. You need to get some rest."

The two women sat on the edge of the bed.

"So your parents didn't call and you're sad because..." she coaxed.

"Well, I suppose a girl envisions her parents being at her wedding. I mean, most brides I've known have been control freaks about their wedding, and it's not like I feel helpless or anything. But, still, you imagine your father giving his little girl away and your mom telling you everything's going to be okay. And, well, I don't have any of that."

She suddenly burst into tears and sobbed for some time while Eleanor held her tightly. When she finally stopped, Julie wiped her eyes and looked embarra.s.sed.

"I'm sorry. I'm a grown woman and I should be able to handle this, but I just feel so alone."

Eleanor brought her a damp washcloth to wipe her face.

"You have every right to feel that way, and I guess I've been a pretty lousy maid of honor."

"Well, you were recruited at the last minute. You don't even really know me."

"It shouldn't matter. We're both women. You're going to be a bride tomorrow. That's all I should need to know."

"Have you even been married?"

"No," said Eleanor quietly, "but I've thought about it a lot. Imagined every detail of it, down to the finger foods and flower displays. I don't dream about it as much as I used to, though."

"Why not?"

"It's a simple matter of time. Years go by, the chances of it happening steadily diminish."

"Well, all you need is someone who loves you and you love him back."

Eleanor smiled when she actually felt like bawling harder than Julie just had. "Yep, that's all you need." She touched the garment bag Julie had set on the bed. "What's this?"

Julie looked embarra.s.sed again. "It's my wedding gown. I haven't tried it on since I bought it. I thought maybe, you know."

"What a wonderful idea," said Eleanor.

"You sure you don't mind? Like you said, it's late and I'm sure you're tired."

"Actually, I was was tired, but now I'm not." tired, but now I'm not."

Eleanor helped Julie into her dress, a simple yet elegant outfit of cream white that fit perfectly. As she was about to place the veil on Julie's head, Julie took it and put it on Eleanor. The two women stood side by side in front of the full-length mirror.

"You look beautiful, Julie."

"So do you."

Julie started laughing hysterically and Eleanor finally joined her.

Later, as Eleanor was about to pack up the gown and Julie was in the bathroom, Eleanor put the veil back on and held the gown up to her and looked in the mirror.

"Ellie?"

She looked over where the door to her compartment had slid open with the curves of the track and the acceleration of the Chief. It was Tom, staring at her. Her arms couldn't move. She just stood there mutely covered by another woman's wedding dress.

"Ellie?" he said again as he stepped through the door.

At that moment Julie came out of the bathroom and looked at each of them. "Sorry if I interrupted something," she said.

Eleanor lowered the gown, took the veil, and carefully packed it all away while Tom watched. She handed the garment bag to Julie, gave her a hug, and said with a smile, "Sleep hard, your whole life changes tomorrow morning. For the better."

Julie kissed her on the cheek, turned, and walked past Tom, who still stood there, looking as awkward as he did confused.

"What do you want, Tom?"

"You looked really beautiful in the dress, Ellie."

"It's late, shouldn't you be with Lelia?"

"I don't love Lelia!"

"Well, she seems to love you. I a.s.sume you must have shown some affection, or made some comment or promise to her, because I find it hard to believe the woman would have flown all this way to ask you to marry her out of friendship or kindness. Frankly, she doesn't strike me as the type."

"I'm telling you, our relationship was not like that."

"Really, so what was it like to make her come all this way?" She folded her arms across her chest and waited expectantly.

"How do I know why she'd do something like that? She's nuts."

"You've been seeing each other how long?"

Tom sputtered, "About three years. But off and on."