Appointment in Samarra - John O'Hara [87]
Oh, I didn’t know that. A big party? Who are you having?
The usual crowd. The younger crowd, a few from the school crowd, and our own friends. Which reminds me.
Is there anything you want?
No, but I must go. I was going to call it off when I first came here, but I might as well go through with it, so I must do some shopping, odds and ends. I ll see you tomorrow or next day. Give me a nice Beech-Nut kiss. Good-by.
Good-by, darling. You’re a sweet girl.
You’re the one that s sweet, said Caroline. She put on her things in the hall, knowing that her mother was standing at the window, waiting to wave to her. Well, at least she had made some kind of gesture for tradition; she had run to mother. The visit had been a fiasco, but she was glad in a way that it had been glad that it had been a fiasco in the way that it had been, but sorry if it were to result in awakening disturbing memories, whatever they were, for her mother. She ran down the steps and turned and waved to her mother before getting in the car. Her mother waved and then the curtains fell into place and her mother withdrew from the window. Then Caroline heard a long blast of a Cadillac horn, and she saw Julian in his car, half a block down the street, on the other side. He was waiting. She drove her car near his, staying on her side of the street, and stopped. He got out and sauntered over. He looked like hell. Well, she said. You were in there long enough. What did you have to see her for?
Now really, Julian. Is that reasonable?
Is it reasonable for you to be down here now? What s it all about? I suppose you had to take down your back hair and have a good cry and so forth.
No answer. Oh, that s it. Giving her a song and dance about me, I suppose. Little bride runs to mother because hubby doesn’t like her biscuits. For Christ s sake. Good God, I tried to what did you tell her? Come on, what did you say?
This is no place for a scene.
It s as good a place as any. Better, in fact. It s safer for you, because I probably won’t do here what I feel like doing.
You mean punch me in the face, I suppose.
How did you ever guess it?
If you take your foot off the running-board I d like to get going.
I suppose you heard about the club.
I didn t. What club? What do you mean, the club? Has the club suspended you on account of the other night?
Now she s interested. No, the club hasn t suspended me, not as far as I know. This is a different club, this time.
The Gibbsville Club?
The Gibbsville Club no less.
What happened there? What did you do there?
I had a little get-together with Mr. Ogden, Captain Ogden, the war hero, the one-armed wonder and snooper extraordinaire.
What do you mean?
You ll find out. You ll find out soon enough. You said something about going a minute ago. Go ahead.
I don t want to go now till I find out what you’re talking about. More trouble. God, I m so tired of it. Her voice broke and she began to cry. No scenes on the street, dearie. No scenes on the street. No street scenes, if you please. It s your idea. Can t have things like this in public.
Oh, Julian, what did you do? My God. She was now really crying. Her voice had the far-away sound of hollow pain, despairing women in removed rooms down a hospital hall, wailing women at the mouth of a blown-up mine. Listen, will you go away with me? Now? This minute? Will you? Will you go away with me?
No, no, no, no, no. What did you do? Tell me what you did? What did you do to Froggy?
I can t talk to you like this. Let s go home.
Oh, no. I don t want to go home. You ll make me stay with you. Oh, go away, Julian. Please let me alone. A horn sounded and a small coupe passed. Caroline waved. Julian waved. It was Wilhelmina Hall and the visiting Gould man, from New York. Are they going to stop? said Caroline. No. They re going on. Me too, he said. No. What did you do? Tell me. Come in to Mother s with me. She knows we re having a quarrel. She won’t bother us. Like a whole lot of hell I will. I m not going in there. I m going.
If you leave I m going to call