Margie pushed the trowel in the soft soil and lifted the cabbage plant carefully. Just then she heard the bark of the dog across the street for the hundredth time that morning. She peered over the hedge and saw a strange man walking up the pathway to the house at 4710 Hedgepeth Row. Well, he wasn't really a strange man. Margie had seen him many times before walking down the street after parking his car nearly a block away and then going into Carla Breedlove's house shortly after Carla's husband, Sam had left for work.

Now as she set the plant into its new hole and packed the soil carefully around it she said to the air around her, "Harrumph, if she's going to carry on an affair she should at least put a muzzle on that dog's mouth. Or keep him penned up in the back yard kennel. No need to announce it to the entire neighborhood." She picked up the watering can and soaked the plant with a fine spray of tepid water that she had mixed with some fertilizer. As she set the can down gently on the ground she stood up and looked toward the Breedlove house again just in time to see Mrs. Breedlove close the blinds in an upstairs bedroom.

Rex barked again two short yaps. Margie, standing with her hands on her hips smirked, "Even the dog agrees with me." Margie stooped and lifted another cabbage plant. She transported it carefully on the blade of the trowel and placed it in its new residence. Again she sprayed it with the blue fertilized water, and then set the watering can down. That was the last of the cabbage plants that needed transplanting. She stood for a moment admiring her work. "That should be enough cabbage for cole slaw for a while. Now let me see, where will I put the tomatoes? Well, never mind, plenty of time to worry about that later."

She glanced across the street again. The sun was high in the sky. It was still quiet over there. The dog had gone back to sleep Margie guessed. She took the watering can and trowel into the tool shed and hung them on their respective pegs. Then she took out the lawn mower and began to cut the grass. She would be able to keep her eyes open as she made each turn of the mower to face the street. It was a good way to see without being noticed herself. At least no one would think of her as spying on her neighbor.

After the third lap she stopped the mower and took out her handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her brow. It was getting hot. Maybe she ought to just finish the back yard today and do the rest some other time. That ought to give her enough time to figure out just what was going on over the way.

The Breedloves had only recently moved to this neighborhood. Carla had seemed like such a sweet person. And Sam was so handsome and sociable. She and Phil had taken an instant liking to them and had welcomed them into the neighborhood right away with a party to which they had invited everyone on the block. They both had been hits with all the neighbors. Everyone seemed to like them. The Browns, two doors down, had thrown another block party the following week, and it had escalated from there. There was a party somewhere on the block every week since.

Margie liked that. But it was only a short time until the stranger began to appear, always parking some distance away, and always after Sam was off to work. It did seem strange to Margie. She was dying of curiosity and so she spied every chance she got. Unfortunately, she hadn't learned anything about this debonair man who sneaked into the Breedlove household almost every morning as soon as Sam was gone. He usually stayed until lunchtime, and then sneaked away again, whistling a tune as he strutted down the sidewalk toward that little red convertible he'd left parked so discreetly on the next block. Why was it necessary for him to park so far away? Why didn't he just pull into the Breedlove's driveway like any other visitor would do? Margie was determined to find out.

Margie heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. Then some birds began to chirp. They startled her back to the present. She mopped her face again with the now damp handkerchief. She went into the laundry room and stuffed it along with some other clothes into the washing machine and turned it on. As she walked out of the room she caught a glimpse of the stranger as he went through the gate carefully closing it behind him. She couldn't hear it, but she could tell by the spring in his step that he was whistling that tune. She went closer to the window and watched until he disappeared. She still stood looking at the house on the other side of the road. It had suddenly come to life.

Carla stepped outside, dressed in high heels that matched her red dress. Her black curly hair peeked out beneath a red hat that showed her alabaster skin to perfection, and she carried a red handbag slung over her left shoulder. The little red convertible pulled up to the gate and stopped. Carla got into it, slamming the door, as it sped off.

"What in the world is she up to now?" Margie was beside herself because she could no longer eavesdrop on the couple. "I wonder how many others in the neighborhood knows about this affair?" She placed the forefinger of her right hand on the side of her face in a studious manner, then asked herself, "Should I tell them about it? What an interesting tidbit it would be. But what do I tell them? That Carla is having an affair with this stranger? I don't know that for a fact. I only know what I saw with my own two eyes. Still---" The buzzer on the washing machine signaled that it had finished washing the clothes. "Oh be quiet! Can't you see I'm thinking?" She untangled the clothes from the washer's agitator and tossed them into the dryer. She slammed the door shut and pushed the buttons to start it. She stood for a moment listening to the steady roll and tumble of the clothes in the dryer. She'd have time for a quick shower before preparing some lunch for herself.

In the shower she picked up the bottle of shampoo and poured a small amount into her hand. She worked it into lather in her long auburn hair. When it was rinsed out she let the warm water soothe her aching muscles. She hadn't realized that she had been so tense. Memories of the morning's events came flooding back as she toweled herself dry. She slipped into some old jeans, a teeshirt, and sneakers then went into the kitchen and prepared a salad and a fresh pot of coffee.

Sitting at the kitchen table she saw the red convertible come back. Carla stepped out of it. The man walked to the door with her, then kissed her lightly on the cheek. Carla disappeared into the house as the man walked back to his car and drove away.

"A kiss! In broad open daylight! Now I have plenty to tell the neighbors. They'll be shocked to hear all about it. I can hear Susan cackling already. And she'll be sure to tell Stan. And then there'll be no stopping it. Everyone will know what has been going on." The telephone rang. It sounded so loud that Margie almost dropped her coffee cup.

Susan's calm voice said, "Margie, did you see that handsome man who brought Carla home just now?"

Taken aback that Susan already knew about it Margie could only stutter, "W-what man? Was it Sam?"

"Didn't you see that little red convertible drive up to her gate while she stood there dressed fit to kill waiting for him?" "Red convertible? Oh, yes, I did notice that. Why? What's it about?"

"You haven't forgotten the party tonight have you?" Susan's voice sounded like it was coming from very far away.

"Party? Oh, yes, of course. Say, whose house is it at this time? I've forgotten, I've been so busy working in my garden I'd almost forgot there was a party tonight. Who are our hosts this time?" "How could you forget that? Haven't you noticed this same man coming to the house almost every day for the last two weeks?"

Margie was puzzled. What did the stranger have to do with this? Were he and Carla going to flaunt their affair in front of everybody? She could barely hear her own voice as she spoke into the phone, "Susan, what are you talking about?"

"You mean you haven't heard? It's supposed to be a surprise. I'm not supposed to tell anyone. I promised. Sorry. I have to go now. See you tonight at the Breedlove's."

Margie was so stunned that she stood there in a daze for several minutes listening to the dial tone. Then the operator's voice came on the line, "If you'd like to make a call please hang up and then dial your number."

Margie slammed the phone down on its cradle. So Susan knew all about it. How did she find out? And what was the big secret anyway? The dryer signaled it had done its duty. She thought about the coffee still on the table. Well no matter it was cold now. She went to the dryer and began to unload the clothes, taking them out one piece at a time. She folded some and hung some on hangers as she wondered about the party tonight. She became so lost in thought that she forgot what she was doing and Phil found her still sitting in front of the dryer when he arrived home from work.

Kissing her on the cheek, he looked puzzled as he asked, "Honey, what's wrong? How long have you been sitting here staring into space? Are you okay?" He seemed genuinely concerned. Margie lifted her eyes to his and had to laugh at the look on his face. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about the party tonight. We'll have to hurry if we're going to make it on time. I still have to cook supper and then get dressed."

"I hear it's going to be quite a shindig. I hope you bought yourself a new dress for the occasion. I'm dying to see you in it." He pulled her to him and held her in a long sweet embrace. "You'll be the prettiest girl at the ball."

"Ball? I didn't know it was going to be a ball. We usually just play games. N-no, I didn't buy a new dress. I was planning to wear shorts and sneakers. I thought we were going to play tennis?" "No, Sam told me they were going to announce their son's engagement and introduce the bride-to-be to the neighborhood. He purchased the house just down the street where that little red convertible sits all the time. They'll be moving into it right after the honeymoon. Everybody who is anybody is going to be there tonight. They've been working on this party for weeks. Didn't you know?"

The air seemed to rush out of Margie's lungs all at once. She was glad she was still sitting down. She'd been so busy working in her garden so she could spy on her neighbor. Now all she could do was look at Phil standing there in amazement and stutter, "B-but I thought --- never mind it's nothing. I'll get supper started." "No supper tonight, Honey. We'll eat dinner with the Breedlove's, remember?" He still looked worried, but he continued, "Go now and make yourself as pretty as possible. We don't want to keep our hosts waiting." He took her by the hand and led her up the stairs to the bedroom.