Бетти Смит - Maggie-Now

"There's Egypt in your dreamy eyes," she quoted.

[2 ~ A]

'That's a bold thing to tell a man," he said.

"No. I mean, that's the name of the song you started to sing."

"We have our song, then," he said. "Will you pour the tea?"

Thrilled, she filled his bowl and her own. "Sugar?" she asked, arching her eyebrows as she had seen an actress, Jerry Morley, do at the Lyceum in a play where Jerry had poured tea.

He grinned. "No sugar."

"I don't take sugar, either," she said.

'Good. We have the same habits. She'll have no trouble getting along."

"It's such good tea," He said.

"I don't l~now whether it's good or not. But it's wonderful because we're drinking it together." After the third bowlful, he sighed, leaned back and relaxed. "All we need is a fire on the hearth and a cat purring on the rug.

Do you like cats, Margarct?"

"I don't know. I never had a cat."

"We'll have a cat, maybe two," he said. "You'll love them.'' Stle set her bowl down because her hands w ere trembling. Now, she thought, he'll say, we'll have a cut Chest we set up o'er ow home after we nearby.

He said: "Ever see a Phalanx cat?

"What kind of cat is that?"

'They have no tails. ~l hey're verb colllnlon in Scotland. Scotland! Have you ever been. ."

"No," she interrupted. "I've never been to Scotland." He laughed.

T he waiter brought the food. She stared adnniringly at the nicely arranged, steaming mound on Claude's plate.

She said the obvious thing: "Ely, that looks good!"

Now! he wondered. Will she say I'll give you some of mine arid you give me some of yours? He detested women who wanted to share food in restaurants. He tried her out.

"HONV about I give you some of this and \70U give me some of yours?"

"You can have SOII1C of mine," she said, "there's such a lot of it. But I don't v,~ant any c hop sucy."

Perversely then, he ~ anted her to share his food.

"Please?" lie asked.

' 1 can't. Bet ause it's l? ridav."

1 /6 1 "What does Friday have to do. ."

"I can't eat meat on Friday, especially Good Friday."

"And why not?"

"My religion. ."

"Of course! How could I be so stupid? Please don't hold it against me." He reached over and put his hand on hers.

So he's not Catholic, sighed Maggie-Now to herself.

F: ven if he did want me, that's another thing religion in the way.

'I d like to go to service with you," he said.

"Service? Oh, Mass. There's high Mass Sunday. Easter high Mass is very beautiful. Even outsiders," she said bravely, "think so."

"I'll think so too, my little Chinee," he said. "I want to share it with you. I want to share everything with you."

Again, he leaned across the table to put his hand on her arm.

She saw the w alter coming with the dessert and, as many women do, she changed the subject, feeling that talk should be casual in the presence of a waiter.

"It's sprinkling outside," she said.

"An April shower," he said.

Dessert was two almond cookies each. 'Would it be all right," she asked Claude, "if I took one home for my brother?"

"Only if you false one of mine, too." She wrapped the cookies in her clean handkerchief and put them in her pocketbook.

"It's raining harder," he said.

"I like to walk in the rain," she said.

"We'll stay here and drink tea," he said. "And talk.

Maybe the rain will let up." He ordered another pot of tea. "I have about two days left," he said, "and I'd like to spend them with you. Could I spend tomorrow at- your home?"

She looked so stricken his heart went out to her. He knew she was thinking of her father. He made it a little easier for her "Could we aide out to the cemetery?"

"Cemetery?' She was astonished. "But why….~" "It sounded so wonderful when you told me how your mother took you there and how you took your brother.

"

"Well, its not Decoration Day, but I guess we could go just the same." He laughed. "Only, I'd have to take Denny

"

"i wouldn't think of going if he didn't come along," he said 1 '~ 7]

,allantly. Site gave hell her wide smile for that. i'And tomorrow night?" he asked tentatively.

"Well, I al\vays go to see Aunt Lottie Ott Easter eve, To bring Laster baskets to the twins, but. ."

"Would you," he said eagerly, "u ould yotl take me?"

"I u ould like to," she said.

I he rain continued. they were the only guests left in the restaurant. The waiter started to mop the floor and they left. They walked home in the rain. He put his arm around her waist, holding her close to his side as they walked, saying that one side of her' at least, wouldn't get wet. She thought that was a very nice waN7

to \Valk.

When she got home, L)enny was sitting on the floor with a shiny, new humming top. "Why aren't you in bed, Denny?" she asked with a frown. Denny and his father exchanged understanding looks.

"He's still up because I asked kiln to keep me cornpanv."

"— li7here'd you get that pretty top?" she asked.

'Papa bought it for n e. For Easter."

"Ah, Papa!" she said. She put her hand on his shoulder in a gesture of affection.. She was pleased that he'd been nice to Dennv and relieved that he hadn't started the usual argument about her going out that night.

"By the way," said Pat casually. "Don't count on me for Easter dinner. I'm going to have Easter dinner with me friend."

Maggie-No\v's heart Icaped a little. I call have (:laude here far dialler, she told herself joyously.

"I hope vou won't mind," he said with stiff formality.

"Lao, Papa. I'm glad you have a friend," she said sincerely.

j_ l (\|

ON THE way to the cemetery, Claude didn't ask Denny how old he was; what grade he was in; whether he liked school and what he wanted to be when he got big stock questions that adults usually ask children when they're trying to get acquainted. He drew out Derllly about kite making and he listened with sincere interest. He told Denny how the Chinese made kites; the lacquered sticks and the gold and silver paper and the symbols painted on them; turquoise, jade green and Chinese red. And the kite itself in the shape of a dragon, perhaps, and the tail, intricately made of twisted paper to look like a dragon's tail. The trolley ride seemed all too short to Denny and to Maggie-Now, too.

She bought a red geranium and the man said the price had gone up. It was fifty cents now and he confided that the price would go up to a dollar on Decoration Day. On account of the war, he said.

Claude insisted on buying a hothouse hydrangea. It cost a dollar and a half and Maggle-Now told him it was too dear, but Claude said, since her mother had loved them so, he wanted to plant one on her grave.

"Margaret," he said, as they walked through the cemetery, "do you believe that when someone dies, he dies altogether?"

"Yes," she said. "Except the soul."

"What is the soul?"

"What goes to heaven when you die," said Lenny.

"Brother Bernard said so."

"That's h;S catechism teacher," explained 1\/laggie-No\v.

"What do you think the soul is, Margaret? "

"I suppose it's the something that stays or is after someone dies. The soul of him is around. It's the kind of stamp he made on