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TilK liAITAUON
WE IM I B \E\M
■ > I • I • I I i Sl^ll
A Storv That Finds Women of Good Sense Still C^uite Foolish at Times *
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Marcia lay «*n th«* lu>li >|>rin>r ikria>>. it* fresh smell clcan*-
in>r her nostras, clcann^ her mirnl. The luxuriant creen mat fit-
U^l itself subtly t»» the ilelieate contours of the girl’s y«>unc
ImhIv. ('om4>letely supine, she >w»* only half-visible to the yiirth
Imsule ht*t. __ *
. Thorug’h the sibilant patchwork *»f oak leaves ftho'e. she
cauitht glimpses of clou<i-la<e trailing lanirunlly im^t tur«|Uoiike
w inflows. The «»ak ilrew fleet) siirh-* all the while.-its le^ve f
w h I ^ j)eri njf to one a not htr. i h^.jrirl ►niathtfl fleeyly. exultantly.
Her breasts^ rising anfl fallmir, rhythmically riwealefl anti ob-
iK'Uretl th#» lake ami the sun-fire irlintin*!’ from the white-caps.
When exhaling she Cf*u <1 barely ilescry the fern of the huisache^
anti the froRfietl willows on the i*np *site shore-line. The warm
white linen Of her <lre«*«« felt pieJT^An’ly ilan^T" beneath her. She
murmurVfl happily ami wi»rflli*ssly t«* ierself^
-Dul you. sfimc Kin". <larlimr?" Vmeert resteil on h's
fiirht elbow, crnuiblin*r,a bit of oaf hark in •hi* hanfl Across
Marcia's b 0< l. v he cmi il see the lakh.
She ^milefl not at tht' boy, hut to herself. "No ....
I was only thinkmif. rhir.kir ^ how ipiietly womlerful it i
with you here like this. How* delightfully plaeid Vinny! It’s
that heaujiful. tihseuu* peaie, that u>e<l to come when Mother
tucked im*. in • bed my t old winter nights when I was a little
girl. The blankets snvdtl-tl so t.esh,»and I f.dt *i» clean, tingling
all over Ciuin my bath.”
The boy stilred, “It’s UscWss 1 sup|Mtse to hf»pe Uia!
feeling will ever grow into one.of love for me . . . . t . i*n’t it
Marcia?” He saul it resigneilly. sorrowfully.
v “Dear Vinny! I wi- h 1 couhl love you that way.* She was
sincere “But. < she •dipped h» U-fi hard int«* his» somehow I
can’t picture you as my lover, old friend. You see, yf»u are part
of this-scene like the lake, tlu^ *• 1 oak, ajuJ tin- swaying «>f
'the huisuche t>t|t thir.*. We’ve* lK.b*ii he’e s.» many times together,
VitMiy, that if Vt»u were to sudtlvnly l i ve I h »uhl feel part of
tAo* itcaJlyi < f # thi.> place p.mn**' wuh j . t. i k.mu thi< pear*
would it)si* it* swfee tre^s. -^bit (her eyes mol.* «* fer f o tie
*oy to baik deeply I. ! Wf»..l in’i feel tlmt • jy l«»ve had 'gf» M ,*
* ..... can you unierstand. \’inny flcar?”
\incenr lair! her hand s,p'; Jy < j), . j* si's a* <1 rofblifl hi-
arfswer. His eyes held a pjiirtcd, hopeless |l<i *k. He thumhefl ;i
pit*ci* of btirk toward the lake, li wa n’t har*l to underst:*n 1
what Marcia meant he unflerstofifl all t«v«. clearly'
She took his ham! again. “Vinny. dear, when you were a
little boy. drtaming of yourself as the mmi-l*;- ; >i mv tofiay.
of |H*ople calling you. Brother Onison. I had my deams tf*<». I
use<l to sit in the hacklmrry tree, in our hj.ek yard, anfl ilream
' t*f the iH4|!ionTr of things 1 plat i*d to do when 1 grew up. I
had visions of becoming a givat wmnan doctor e\en went s«
far. when I was'a li.tl* older, a; to pan to be an obsttgrauaYi
1 thought of. and in m imabi ’alion wa- happy over, the cuunt-
less nKMbers - * Ip knew I eou'd htdp lis’anse I w as a worn aif.
capable of understanding thim's no n*an e\ei c *uld.“
, The Ih)\ tlickesl anolher puhe of bark Marcia brushed a
i: russhbpper from her "kirt.
“Vial in the wonderful privacy of that hackbeny tree. I
diearned of my Primx* i harming, who came down from the
cbuids. and earned me away on hi*- white horse. He carried mo
from Mother’s tm* frequent call**. |»estering littU* Ih»vs Hki* you
i:sed to be “She laughed ’ «ind the aw fulness «»f Sumlay
Seh«K>l.“
“1 went with him. to a land of blossomed gardens, courts,
and princi*s. Thi* people pow dere I .lhi*ir hair, and the ladies
curtsied and wore U*autiful Mlk gowns ULr my great great
grandmother’s hall dress, that uc've g*'t stored away in the at
tic. There were fountains, long marble corridors, and urns
alabaster.”
' Above and in front of Vincent's eyes a young spider began
hi- gossamer from an oak iu’i'. I own on his own eilk he
dropped to a leaf on another l rttneh. r. 1 fastened there the
first rib of his fairyland.
“As I grew older, along with you and da* k and Penelope. I
began to rcalrtc that mV dream palace wa* any big city m\
ladies and princlS its liwb . animated people. And. with that
realization, Yin n dAir. tp . dr.*.*! bo aim* an obsession. There
would be c l:e*r«. I th'ii|^iit . . v . medi al sehrad
hospi rl . . . . ^ . I n j i ># <>! \ * ie ,'ots ami -my heels cluking
on tile. Then recognition p *opie whis|wring
my name with res|»ect ami awe. My Prince ( harming would be
along then, t«M», I knew And he would la* a surgeon like m»
l ife, I thought, would unfold beautifully for ftis h«*th.
“There would 1h- work t » -bare, and p ay to share. Wo
could attend concerts, opera-, plays, and visit art galleries’
There would be loQg voya* r e; vacations in Bermuda
To have lived that richly, and. at the same tune, have Im-cm
gr at surgeons would have t cct\ hard, I know; but. we «ould
have done ft my Pn.we ( harming ami I.”
I^ots of the little silvery rib* now attaihed to four dif
fi rant twigs.; B<*fore I »no th*- wet> wou d be a iliaphragm of
lace, pulsing in the *:.m«‘ bree/.e that marie ’he white-caps . . .
the ribs only trembled m*w-, mutely.
“BiJt Dar| died, you know, and so it was business -chrM*l
instead of tollegc. I had to ! r*d a way of making bread an«^|
butter, before Ml»th«- - l n I • i *n r*ut. While you. ami .lack, ami
Per elope were aVva\ at the I niversity. 1 wa- learning surgery
i i an insurance offiie, ami ve.ilrg my devotion to the women
c*f tbv* wo 1J by takir*» care t» my own mother." (Vincent saw
a ! iyir**: h::f break ••n** of ih- go samer strands.)
“t knew > w ui d eo s ack.to this little town aft*u
« -Ihge knew ymi’l want men congregation here. But 1 was
happy in the th**u-ht that Penelope and Jar’k would rlo big
thingJack has three well !r-< *'\ | Ihmrk — already but Pene-
lr.|H* was so t)i-app<rint mg! \\ b \. \ mny. she told me she would’ve
milch rather stain^l at horn** than gone to college, (th! if I could
only ha\e trarietl pljo'es with luc. Now, shi**s learning hr»w to
errr.k again. k*x'ping thr* Wen- kaoy when they go out at night,
and har.Uy ever touching the piano arry more. It- such a shan^^
for her to go through life with gr* dp *nd the S«*wing Club pro
' idipg all her neicaticm. (Hi. I wohiM die r «»ni unolhei yt*ar r*f ,i'
• m glsd I m going **ven li i do h.a»v tr» leu%e yi*u. \ inn\."
“Wheie are >ou going. Mania?”
“To. Jack.” It was onl> a rjuiet nrirmut. spdletl wi'h aJ!
the rk*h tenderness r*f the girl'- -oul.<
Neither one s| M »k«* fr'*r a long time interminable to Vincent
He was numb to the core He cea-ed thinking of the girl beside