FICTION

The Flame

Kathy (5-P-4) FPE

It was Saturday and I was watching the College Football game of the week on our color television set and was so wrapped up in the action that I did not hear my wife enter the room.

"Ed', she said as she dropped her armful of packages on the sofa and placed her car keys and purse on the coffee table. "What time will the game be over? We don't want to be late for the party and it will take at least an hour to drive to Tom and Harriet's place."

"It should be over in about an hour, Adele," I replied, "but you can get dinner ready and by that time the game should be over.

I had forgotten completely about the Halloween Eve party that we had been invited to by friends from our home state whom we had not seen for many years. We were looking forward to this evening.

I had recently been transferred from our Denver office to Los Angeles to com- plete a project for our firm and I had been working extra hours to complete it.

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