That was Tuesday night. The following day Carolyn bought the sandwiches and we ate them at the bookstore. After she’d washed down the last bite of felafel with the last sip of celery tonic, she cocked her head and said, “About next weekend, Bern.”

“What about it?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking.”

“We’re still on, aren’t we?”

“I guess so, but-”

“But what?”

“Well, I’m a little unclear about something.”

“What’s to be unclear? We’ll leave here Thursday afternoon and be back sometime Sunday night. If you’re wondering what clothes to pack-”

“I’ve got that worked out.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I’d sort of like to know why we’re going.”

“Why we’re going?”

“That’s right, Bern. That’s where it gets a little unclear for me.”

“I know why I’m going,” I said, “and I thought I’d told you. I’m going because I had it all planned, had my heart set on it, and I don’t see any reason to let a perfidious anglophile leave me stranded. Another reason I’m going is because I need a vacation. I can’t remember the last time I got out of the city, and I’ve been putting in long hours in the store, not to mention the occasional off-the-books enterprise at night.”

“I know you’ve been working a lot.”

“That’s why I’m going. As for you, I figure you’re going because you want to keep your best friend company in his hour of need. And you’ve been working hard yourself. How many dogs got a wash and set from you the week of the big Kennel Club show?”

“Don’t remind me.”

“So you can use a break, and how often do you get a chance to do a good deed for a friend and get a free vacation in the bargain?”

“Not too often.”

“So now we know why I’m going, and why you’re going, and if you put the two together, they add up to why we’re going.”

She considered the matter. I crumpled up one of the sandwich wrappers and threw it for Raffles to chase, then gathered the rest of our luncheon detritus and put it in the trash. When I got back, Carolyn had the cat on her lap and a determined expression on her face.