“he is an intelligent child. He takes after, I think, his mother. He goes to play group and he notices that almost all the other children there, they have fathers. Most of them, they have fathers to come home to. Some of them, they have fathers who are divorced, they have to go somewhere to visit. But almost all of them, Krekor, have fathers.”
“Ah,” Gregor said. “I take it this is upsetting him?”
“You could put it that way,” old George said.
“Well, what about Peter? I know he’s not very responsible, but he is the boy’s father and he doesn’t live that far away. Hadn’t he got a job in New York last time we heard?”
Peter Desarian was the young man who had gotten Donna Moradanyan pregnant and disappeared—except not quite, because Gregor had gone off to find him. To say that Peter Desarian was “irresponsible” was a little like saying that Adolf Hitler had had something against the Jews. Old George Tekemanian had gone very stiff at the mere mention of the young man’s name.
“If we have heard that Peter is having a job in New York,” he said, “it is on jungle drums, Krekor. Peter does not write.”
“Does Donna want him to?”
“No, Donna does not want him to. But this does not solve our problem now. There was an incident, you see. With Tommy.”
“What kind of incident?”
“It was back in November, when you were away at that conference. It happened one afternoon at Lida Arkmanian’s house.”
“What incident?” Gregor insisted.
“It happened because of nothing,” old George went on serenely. “It was a Saturday afternoon and we were all sitting around in Lida’s television room, watching the Walt Disney Pinocchio on a tape. We were eating too, Krekor, you know what Lida’s house is like, the television room is just off the kitchen to make it easier to get snacks—”
“George.”
“Yes. Krekor. You see, Tommy got hysterical.”
“What do you mean, hysterical?”
“Hysterical,” George repeated. “He burst into tears and leapt into Donna’s arms and started screaming and crying and ranting and raving—like a crazy person, Krekor, or like a tantrum, and then, when Donna and Lida tried to calm him down, when they rocked him and soothed him, he started asking over and over again, ‘Why doesn’t my daddy love me? What was the wrong thing I did to make it so my daddy doesn’t love me?’ ”
Gregor winced. Old George was an eerily good mimic. It was as if Tommy Moradanyan were there in the room.
“Oh, dear Lord,” he said. “That’s a mess.”
“Yes,” old George agreed. “That’s a mess. It’s what I was trying to get across. Tommy is a very bright child, but he’s a child. He understands about half of things, which in this situation is the worst possible thing. And there is something more, Krekor. I think, in the months since then, the problem has been getting worse.”
“Worse how?”
“I don’t know. I am not a psychiatrist, Krekor. I am not even Ann Landers. I know only that Donna is very upset. And she is getting more and more upset every day.”
“She hasn’t talked to you about it?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me about it, Krekor. I am not her confidant.”
“What about Lida Arkmanian? Or Bennis? Isn’t Bennis her best friend?”
“Bennis is her best friend, but if they have talked about this, I don’t know. Women talk about everything together when they are friends, Krekor, do they not?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been able to figure out the first thing about women.”
“I, Krekor, have been able to figure out that whatever it is I think I am doing right, I am doing wrong, but this may not be universal. Robert Redford may have a different experience.”
“Robert Redford has a different experience from all of us,” Gregor said, getting up. “Do you think I should talk to her? Do you think there’s anything either one of us can do?”
“I think we should leave her alone to work it out for herself. You know
“Ah,” Gregor said. “I take it this is upsetting him?”
“You could put it that way,” old George said.
“Well, what about Peter? I know he’s not very responsible, but he is the boy’s father and he doesn’t live that far away. Hadn’t he got a job in New York last time we heard?”
Peter Desarian was the young man who had gotten Donna Moradanyan pregnant and disappeared—except not quite, because Gregor had gone off to find him. To say that Peter Desarian was “irresponsible” was a little like saying that Adolf Hitler had had something against the Jews. Old George Tekemanian had gone very stiff at the mere mention of the young man’s name.
“If we have heard that Peter is having a job in New York,” he said, “it is on jungle drums, Krekor. Peter does not write.”
“Does Donna want him to?”
“No, Donna does not want him to. But this does not solve our problem now. There was an incident, you see. With Tommy.”
“What kind of incident?”
“It was back in November, when you were away at that conference. It happened one afternoon at Lida Arkmanian’s house.”
“What incident?” Gregor insisted.
“It happened because of nothing,” old George went on serenely. “It was a Saturday afternoon and we were all sitting around in Lida’s television room, watching the Walt Disney Pinocchio on a tape. We were eating too, Krekor, you know what Lida’s house is like, the television room is just off the kitchen to make it easier to get snacks—”
“George.”
“Yes. Krekor. You see, Tommy got hysterical.”
“What do you mean, hysterical?”
“Hysterical,” George repeated. “He burst into tears and leapt into Donna’s arms and started screaming and crying and ranting and raving—like a crazy person, Krekor, or like a tantrum, and then, when Donna and Lida tried to calm him down, when they rocked him and soothed him, he started asking over and over again, ‘Why doesn’t my daddy love me? What was the wrong thing I did to make it so my daddy doesn’t love me?’ ”
Gregor winced. Old George was an eerily good mimic. It was as if Tommy Moradanyan were there in the room.
“Oh, dear Lord,” he said. “That’s a mess.”
“Yes,” old George agreed. “That’s a mess. It’s what I was trying to get across. Tommy is a very bright child, but he’s a child. He understands about half of things, which in this situation is the worst possible thing. And there is something more, Krekor. I think, in the months since then, the problem has been getting worse.”
“Worse how?”
“I don’t know. I am not a psychiatrist, Krekor. I am not even Ann Landers. I know only that Donna is very upset. And she is getting more and more upset every day.”
“She hasn’t talked to you about it?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me about it, Krekor. I am not her confidant.”
“What about Lida Arkmanian? Or Bennis? Isn’t Bennis her best friend?”
“Bennis is her best friend, but if they have talked about this, I don’t know. Women talk about everything together when they are friends, Krekor, do they not?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been able to figure out the first thing about women.”
“I, Krekor, have been able to figure out that whatever it is I think I am doing right, I am doing wrong, but this may not be universal. Robert Redford may have a different experience.”
“Robert Redford has a different experience from all of us,” Gregor said, getting up. “Do you think I should talk to her? Do you think there’s anything either one of us can do?”
“I think we should leave her alone to work it out for herself. You know