Irene's daily visits eventually modified into daily phone calls and random face-to-face visits. The two women became good friends. It wasn't long before Dorothy became Dotty. Irene and Dotty had many of the same interests. They both loved classical novels and classical music.
One afternoon while listening to one of the records from Irene's set of Brandenburg Concertos, Dotty said, "I need your advice."
"Anything I can do to help."
"I've wanted to tell you this since we became friends. I know what I have to say will be fine with you but I don't know this community that well. I have to live here and Gene was very off-putting and I paid for that. I just couldn't make any friends. I think people liked me well enough. They just thought if they got me, they'd get Gene too."
"You don't have to live here."
"Yes I do."
"Why?"
"Larry Waverly and I are in love."
Irene wasn't shocked. She was, however, upset with herself. She had spent a lot of time with Dotty. She should have picked that up. Dotty spoke of Larry often but usually of how good he was to and for Rick; how Rick had been criticized almost to the point of abuse by his father. The boy needed and was thriving on the attention and approval he got from Larry.
As Irene thought back now, there had been a radiant smile on Dotty's face every time she mentioned Larry. "Are you going to marry?"
"That's the advice I need. Gene's only been dead four months."
"Are you sure you love Larry after only four months?"
"Oh, come on, Irene, this has been going on for five years."
"And Gene never found out?"
"Gene was so full of himself that the kids and I could have died and he wouldn't have noticed except when his dinner wasn't ready or he ran out of clean clothes."
"Why did you ever marry him?"
"Gene was smooth. He knew how to act to get what he wanted. He wanted me and acted as if he loved me. I was young. I wanted love. I thought that was what he was giving me.
"It wasn't too bad until Rick was born. The children took too much of my time. He tolerated Em but I think he hated Rick. Actually, I was planning to leave him before he was called up. After he left, it didn't seem right to do that while he was in the war. General Eisenhower, and perhaps God, took care of that problem for me."
"Have you and Larry been intimate?"
"Of course; we love each other. You should know that Larry is a wonderful man."
"Then marry him."
"But...will people think it's too soon?"
"Some may. I won't and the people who matter, your neighbors, his parents and siblings, will be happy for you. They may wonder about so soon but they don't need to know the details."