He and Elaine were driving to Red Lobster—nothing overly fancy, but John had reserved their favorite booth, the one in the corner of the back room. That way they’d have more privacy. But he wasn’t going to ask the question there of all places. After dinner he would take her to the Indiana University campus, and they’d walk. Somewhere along the way, he was praying God would give him the nerve to make his move. As he drove, he remembered how different things had been decades ago when he asked Elizabeth to marry him. By then they’d been through so much together, they felt like they’d been married five years. Elizabeth had gotten pregnant and had a baby, and she’d been sent away and forced to give up the child without either of them having a say in the situation. By the time she came home and they were allowed to be together again, the marriage certificate was more a formality. Nothing could’ve made them closer than the consequences of their actions already had. Tonight was entirely different.
