Executioner's Song, The - Norman Mailer [18]
There was a smile on his face as she opened the door. He had a silly hat on, but otherwise seemed all right. She asked if he wanted a beer, and he sat and drank one in the living room, sitting back nicely on the couch. Marge introduced him to Sandy, her sister, who was living with her, and her daughter, and after a while she asked if he wanted to go for a ride up the canyon.
Before they got very far, Gary said, "Let's get some more beer." Marge said, "Well, I don't care."
Halfway up the pass, they stopped by Bridal Falls where a narrow stream of water fell for a thousand feet, but they didn't take the gondola up. It was too expensive.
They sat by the river and talked awhile. It was beginning to get dark and Gary looked at the stars and told her how much he enjoyed them. When he was in prison, he rarely got to see them, he said. You could get out in the yard in the daytime, he explained, and catch plenty of sky above the wall, but the only time you'd ever see the stars was in the winter if you went to Court on some beef or other. Then, you might not be brought back to the penitentiary until late afternoon when it was already dark. On a clear evening, you could see the stars.
He began to talk to Marge about her eyes. They were beautiful, he told her. There was sadness in her eyes but also glints of moonbeam.
She thought he was a pleasant conversationalist. When he asked if she'd like to make a date to see a movie, she consented.
After that, however, a State Police car happened to go tearing up the canyon. His mood shifted. He started talking about cops. The more he spoke, the angrier he got. It came off him like an oven with the door open. She had second thoughts about going to the movies with him.
After the night got really dark, they continued up the canyon to Heber, stopped for more beer, then headed back. It must have been 10:30 by then. As they were coming down the hill into Provo, she said, "You don't mind if I take you home now?"
He said, "I don't want to go there."
Marge said, "I have to get up for work tomorrow."
"Tomorrow is Saturday."
"That's a big day at the motel."
"Let's go over to your house."
She said, "Okay, for a little while. It can't be for long."
Her sister had gone to bed, so they sat in the living room. He kissed her. Then he started to do more.
She said, "I better take you home."
"I don't want to," he said. "They're not there."
She insisted. She got him to go. It took all her powers of argument, but she drove him over. It was just a few blocks and when they got there, the lights were out. He said, "They're not here."
Now, she realized she was drunk. It came over suddenly that she was smashed. She managed to say, "Where do you want me to take you ?"
"Over to Sterling's."
"Can't you get in here?"
"I don't want to."
So she took him over to Sterling's. When they got there he said, Sterling isn't up. She said, "You can't stay at my house."
Still, they went back to her apartment. She didn't want to get picked up for drunk driving, and at least she knew the way to her house.
In the living room, Gary started kissing her again. She was feeling miserable and wondering how to get out of this, when she passed out with her arms folded and her head down. By the time she stirred, he was gone. She woke up remembering she'd made a date to go to a movie with him sometime the following week.
Next morning, Gary phoned early. Marge told her sister to say she was not up. He called half an hour later, and Marge said, Just tell him I'm not here. That ended it, she hoped.
By Saturday night, Gary was drunk. Early in the evening he tried to convince Sterling Baker to drive him up to Salt Lake City, but Sterling talked him into going home. Now, Gary tried to warm Vern up for the trip, but got the answer that it was close to midnight and fifty miles one way, and let's forget the idea. Gary answered, All right, just lend me your car. "Well," Vern said, "you can't take it."
Gary gave a look. His eyes at such times had the fury of an eagle in a cage. Those eyes practically