Prailine, this is a wonderful story, please keep going. I always was on Qwill's side after 60 Wiskers until I read this. It's refresting to see Polly's point of view. You write very well. Susan

Polly enjoyed her honeymoon trip so much. Her new husband took just the right one with her. Not to dependent, not to independent, not to clingy, just right. They were so good together. On one of their last stops they flew to Pickax. She showed him around the county, and they spent 4 great days. They stayed at the McIntosh in and one day when she was showing him the library, she saw Qwill from a distance. She knew he saw her, but he turned and walked away. She felt nothing. She did not want to flaunt her good looking well spoken husband in front of him nor would she have cared if Qwill had waved and walked over to talk to them. She felt nothing. It was like he was in the distant past and all the frustrations of trying to get along with him year after year were suddenly excised from her mind. She turned back to get in the car and gave her wonderful husband a broad smile. You know she said, I don't think we will need to build a home here dearest. We can find a place we both love and build a retirement home for summer months. What about Monte Carlo? He smiled and said, we will talk about that!

Prailene....wonderful, just great. I have enjoyed this so much, hearing Polly' point of view.

It was late fall, and the brown leaves were covered with a fresh coat of snow, as Polly Duncan put on a chocolate colored coat with black collar and buttons and went out for a walk. She liked walking, having started the habit years ago after a scare with her heart. She took a deep breath and turned left out of her apartment door. She loved exploring new cities. Travel had always agreed with her, and she had been at first apprehensive, and then eager when her new husband, of one year told her he was being transfered to New York. She decided, after being here just a couple of weeks that she loved it. They once again found they could spend weekends in the countryside, much as they did in France. Day trips and over night trips to upstate New York, exploring Long Island, driving around Conn. all fulfilled their need to be in the country. But the city, oh this wonderful city, with its hustle and bustle. She loved it. And for the first time since college, for a very long time, she decided not to work. She would busy herself redecorating the beautiful apartment they bought in Manhatten. And once finished, her husband wanted to buy her a country house out of the city for her to decorate anyway she pleased. She was so happy! She decided to make one of the apartment bedrooms into his office and a second into a library with an office in ti for herself. She had a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a guest room, and a master bedroom with sitting room to decorate in teh apartment, as well as two bathrooms. It was in an older building with high ceilings, lovely moldings and large rooms.

As she walked along, she thought about the first time she took a walk after her heart surgery. Qwill had brought her yellow mums and daisys when she was sick. He accompanied her on that first walk. And it was at that time she told him she would abandoned building the house of her dremas, because someone had been murdered and buried under the foundation. How tragic, how dreadful she thought. A dream of a lifetime, to build and decorate a home turned into the most horrible time of her life. A person's life taken. And then the terrible accident with her builder killed in a construciton accident. The house was doomed. Cursed, even. And here come this wonderful new husband, buying a beautiful apartment for her to decorate, and next a country home. A fulfillment of a once lost dream.

She remembered back then, thinking, Qwill seems so devestated over my heart attack, so glad to have me recuperating, he will probably realize with no place for me to live, that it is the time for us to marry and share the barn. But no, he did not make that offer , so she bought a condo in Indian Village. And that was nice. After they were separated by the miles between Indian Village and the barn, she thought he would miss her, and propose. But no, he just bought a condo to be "near her". She sighed.

Not her wonderful husband. He knew what he wanted. He had an understanding of what a woman wanted and needed. He knew he wanted her and he asked her to marry. What a priceless fine he was. She sighed the sigh of a contented woman. And she walked on with a smile on her face.

I just can't think of anything else to say about Polly's frame of mind and her new life. She has given Qwill alot of thought in this story. I think all of us might know someone who is widowed or divorced and meets a man in their 40s and forms a loving friendship, they date, they eat almost every meal together, he buys stuff for her, the do everything together, but year after year goes by and they never ever marry. I have wondered about people like this, older, dating for 10, 12, 13 years. Why not marry? They don't ever officially "live" together and maintain separate residences, but are always over at each other's house, usually the woman's house. This is kind of like Polly and Qwill. I wonder how many women in these relationships secrety want to marry but are to proud to say. Who knows We humans are complicated people.

Anne, that time when Qwill had all those women at his cabin irritated me. I think it was supposed to be funny, and that scene certainly had its humorous points. However, Qwill did nothing to show Polly and the others that she was his gal when she showed up. I was mad at Qwill for being such a first-class jerk! Usually, I have been on his side, but feel in that case, he disrespected Polly.

Also, when Qwill went to the Potato Mountains, I did not like that he bought the same gifts for several women, and nothing outstanding for Polly. It was fine that he bought his female friends gifts and it helped out the Potato people. The issue was that was the only time that I recall he told Polly he loved her. As his lover, he should have bought her a gift befitting that relationship, above what he gave to her, which was the same as the rest of his female friends. I thought he was a first-class jerk then, too.

I would be interested in learning more about the time Polly went to the wedding in Lockmaster and stayed longer than originally planned since she met a horse trainer. Polly blushed one time, turned pale another time the trainer was brought up. I suspect she did not spend the night at her friend Shirley's home. That was in Cardinal. Also, I'm so glad to hear the same poncho gift for all the women irritated someone else besides me. I thought it was pure thoughtlessness on his part.

I know that for the sake of the stories LJB had to keep Qwill single, inquisitive, etc etc. However, I thought of him as egocentric, thoughtless, aloof, insensitive. And to be fair, I thought of Polly as uptight, judgmental, prissy, bossy.

I remember the time Qwill brought back capes in different colors for Polly, Fran, ...and two other women I can't remember and how they all had received awards for one thing or another and all happened to wear their capes at the award ceremony. How sad and upset Polly must have been to have been, just one of the girls. If she really was the chief woman in his life, she should have been singled out for special treatment from him. I love this story.

The next day, Polly was set to meet with a cabinet maker to discuss cabinets for the apartment. She headed out in her blue batwing cape. Her husband loved her in blue and had commented several times about the origin of the beautiful handmade cape. She told him it was a gift from a friend who had vacationed in the mountains. She had never told him about the extent and longevity of her relationship with Qwill. She did not want that time to interfere with this new blessed sacred time with her beloved, who looked at her with fresh eyes, as if she were a 20 year old. To much baggage better left unsaid in a new relationship. She fingered the soft cape as she headed for the limo and thought about the anger, the furious anger she controled in front of Qwill, the night she realize her cape was not special. He had bought more and passed them out among the woman in Pickax like they were candy. Her elation over such a perfect and beautiful gift had given way to a rage she held check on. They had been together for 4 years and it was so embarressing. AND, in front of Susan, Hixie, Mildred, and all of Pickax. Her humiliation was public. It took her a long time to get over that one. Then he surprised her a few months later with a gift of property right by the barn for her to build a house next to him. Such a man of contradictions. Or maybe not, he knew what he wanted. He wanted her close, at his beck and call, but wanted to send her back home when he chose to. He wanted he to himself, but let her know by the purchase of a "not so special gift" that he put her in her place. He wanted his cake and eat it to. Well her husband was the opposite. He wanted her for his beloved wife. His lifemate. he wanted her around all the time. She sighed. She felt like the luckiest woman in the world. She thought she might give the cape to charity next week, when she went through her winter clothes and got out spring ones. Yes, she said to herself as the limo pulled up to the cabinet shop. this cape will go in the charity box. She smiled to herself and got out of the car.