Alison Lurie - The War Between the Tates - A Novel

“I know it’s hazardous, Dr. Bunch; that’s the whole reason I’m calling you. You see I have to find someone decent and competent to help her, because if I don’t she’ll probably go to some awful quack abortionist in Jersey City or somewhere, she might do anything, really, she’s so depressed, so exhausted, miserable—”

“How old are you, Erica?”

“Forty, last month, but I don’t see—”

“And how many children do you and Professor Tate have?”

“Two. I know what you’re going to say, you’re going to say that this child deserves to be born as much as they did. But when a child is unwanted, when it just interferes with everyone’s life—”

“Please listen to me for a moment, Erica. You’re a relatively young, healthy woman. You and your husband have a secure income and only two children. You’re upset now about this pregnancy, you think that you don’t want another baby, perhaps that you’re too old—”

“But I’m not—”

“—or possibly your husband doesn’t want it—”

“Dr. Bunch, it isn’t—”

“—or both of you, but believe me, I’ve seen many cases of this kind, and in my experience these late children, these ‘little afterthoughts’ as I call them, are often in the end the greatest source of satisfaction of all to both parents. Now, I suggest that you make an appointment for next week with my—”

“Dr. Bunch, listen! You think it’s me who’s pregnant, but I’m not, really. It’s this student—”

“If it’s a student, why doesn’t she go to the Corinth clinic?”

“Because they won’t help her at the clinic. She’s already been there, and they—”

“If you’re not personally concerned, Mrs. Tate, I frankly don’t understand why you would want to involve yourself in something like this. Abortion is not only against the law in this country, it’s a serious crime, and you’re proposing to make yourself an accessory to a crime. Why should you take any such responsibility? This student, if she exists, must have a family, friends—And how about the father? Isn’t he able to help? Would he be willing for example to marry her? Who is the father?”

“What?”

“Who is the father of this baby?”

“Uh I don’t know him. I mean the girl, my friend, doesn’t know who the father is. It might be anyone of several people; students, you know. There’s nobody she can really go to, except for money that is. I mean you don’t have to worry about that, about money. If you could help her, I’m sure—”

“You’re asking me to perform an illegal operation, is that right?”

“I’m not asking you to perform it. I’m just asking you to recommend—”

“Mrs. Tate. In my eighteen years of practice, nineteen next July first, I’ve had many, many patients come to me with this same problem. Most of them have claimed they were just asking for a recommendation, and almost all of them begin by saying they are inquiring for a friend—”

“Dr. Bunch—”

“—when it is quite obvious to me from everything they say that there is no ‘friend.’ Do you have any tranquilizers in the house now, Erica?”

“No, I—”

“Well then, I’m going to write a little prescription for you; I’ll call it in to the Country Corners Drugstore, and it should be ready for you to pick up in about an hour. I want you to take one every four hours; and then tomorrow morning, when you feel more yourself, when you’re calmer, you can telephone this office and make an appointment for next—”

“But I’m already myself. I don’t need a tranquilizer, I’m quite tranquil, considering everything, but I’m honestly not expecting a—”

“I can’t discuss this matter any more with you, Erica. I have other patients waiting.”

“But, Dr. Bunch!”

“Good-bye, then. Don’t forget to pick up that prescription.”

2.

“Brian Tate here.”

“I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon. Where have you been?”

“I was out of the office. What is it? Is something the matter?”

“You’re asking me if something is the matter? That’s funny, really.”

“Erica, please. I’ve had a difficult day. Tell me what you called about, if it can’t wait until I get home.”

“It can’t wait, because you’re not coming home today. That’s what I’ve been calling you about, to tell you not to come here. I’ve packed your Gladstone bag, I put in two shirts and an extra pair of slacks and—”

“What do you mean, you packed—”

“—and your shaving things and some underwear, and I already took it up and left it in the office with Mrs. Wells. I told her you were leaving town and you would pick it up later.”

“Now wait a minute. What do you mean, leaving town? I’m not going anywhere until the APSA meetings next month.”

“I don’t care where you’re going. I don’t care anything about you, or what you do any more, I just don’t want you to come here, that’s all.”

“Now listen, Erica. Try to get control of yourself—”

“I have got control of myself. I’ve got a good deal more control of myself than—”

“Erica, look, I’m leaving the office now, and I’ll be home as soon as—”

“If you come anywhere near this house, I’m going to tell The Children everything you’ve done.”

“The Children, what do you mean tell—”

“Because I think they’re old enough to know. And please don’t start again on the apologies and excuses. Don’t tell me this time how important I am to you and how I have to learn, to forget and forgive and not act irrationally and brood about events in another less important separate area of your life which didn’t mean anything. I’ve heard enough of your political speeches, and so has Wendy.”

“Wendy?”

“Yes, Wendy. In case you want to know, she came to lunch here today.”

“Oh, hell.”

“You didn’t think she would do that, did you? You thought she would just get out of Corinth quietly and obediently, not asking for anything, not blaming you for what you’ve done to her, and to me. And she probably would have, that’s what’s so awful, and terrible.”

“Wendy was there at the house? When did she leave? Was she going to New York?”

“No, to New Jersey.”

“New Jersey?”

“Yes, she has friends there. You mean you didn’t even know where she was going?”

“No, I—”

“And you didn’t care. You thought you could throw her out like an old pair of pajamas you were through sleeping in, and you weren’t going to concern yourself with where she went or what happened to her. You didn’t care whether she might be dead by this time next week.”

“Dead! What do you mean, dead?”

“And don’t bother to put on that concerned public voice. You know quite well what I mean. You know what the statistics are on illegal operations in Jersey City, you read that article in the Village Voice, but you don’t care. As long as she leaves your sphere of operations and doesn’t bother you any more, you don’t care.”

“That’s not true. I’ve spent all afternoon trying to find Wendy, trying to help her. I’ve been at the bank taking out money, I’ve been to the bus station, to her apartment, and all over town, all over the campus looking for her, calling her friends, for Christ’s sake, I’ve been doing everything I can—”

“Everything you can? You want me to believe that for months you’ve used this girl like a pair of dirty pajamas, and now, suddenly, today—”

“Erica, please listen to me! I didn’t know about any of this until today. I didn’t know Wendy was pregnant until I got a letter from her at the office, this noon.”