Even As We Breathe

Rain sets in at the Grove Park Inn, meaning Cowney and Essie can spend all of their spare time in room 447. Cowney’s boss gives him an expensive camera that he has worked on and asks Cowney to check it out. Cowney takes pictures of some kids on the way to room 447, and once there, he takes a picture of Essie pretending to be a ballerina, which makes her shy: “She reddened with embarrassment, ashamed anyone had seen her dancing so seriously and so alone. My smile faded. I had never seen anything so beautiful, and I knew I was not deserving of that joy in the least” (80). They talk about what they want to do with their lives, and Essie says she wants to go to New York City and see what life is like there. As they talk, Cowney thinks about how beautiful as she is and how he would like to kiss her. They discuss his family and his future as well. They talk about canoeing where the Swannanoa and French Broad Rivers come together. They decide to set a date. Cowney leaves the camera in room 447, thinking he will take more pictures there in the future.