tomorrow," the girl said. "I'd like to get it. "Don't be
rich," Catherine said. "We'll both get it and then we can all see
each other when we talk rot and know how rotty it is. You can't fool a bar
mirror." "It's when I start looking quizzical in one that I know I've
lost," David said. "You never lose. How can you lose with two
girls?" Catherine said. "I tried to tell him," the girl said and
blushed for the first time that evening. "She's your girl and I'm your
girl," Catherine said. "Now stop being stuffy and be nice to your
girls. Don't you like the way they look? I'm the very fair one you
married." "You're darker and fairer than the one I married."
"So are you and I brought you a dark girl for a present. Don't you like
your present?" "I like my present very much." "How do you
like your future?" "I don't know about my future. "It isn't a
dark future is it?" the girl asked. "Very good," Catherine said.
"She's not only beautiful and rich and healthy and affectionate. She can
make jokes. Aren't you pleased with what I brought you?" "I'd rather
be a dark present than a dark future," the girl said. "She did it
again," Catherine said. "Give her a kiss David and make her a fair
present." David put his arm around the girl and kissed her and she started
to kiss him and turned her head away. Then she was crying with her head down
and both hands holding the bar. "Make a good joke now," David said to
Catherine. "I'm all right," the girl said. "Don't look at me.
I'm all right." Catherine put her arm around her and kissed her and
stroked her head. "I'll be all right," the girl said. "Please, I
know I'll be all right."
"I'm
so sorry," Catherine said. "Let me go please," the girl said.
"I have to go. "Well," David said when the girl was gone and
Catherine had come back to the bar. "You don't need to say it,"
Catherine said. "I'm sorry David." "She'll be back."
"You don't think it's all a fake now do you?" "They were real
tears if that's what you mean. "Don't be stupid. You aren't stupid."
"I kissed her very carefully." "Yes. On the mouth."
"Where did you expect me to kiss her?" "You were all right. I
haven't criticized you." "I'm glad you didn't ask me to kiss her when
we were at the beach." "I thought of it," Catherine said. She
laughed and it was like the old days before anyone had mixed in their life.
"Did you think I was going to?" "I thought you were so I dove
in." "Good thing you did." They laughed again. "Well, we've
cheered up," Catherine said. "Thank God," David said. "I
love you, Devil, and really I didn't kiss her to make all that." "You
don't have to tell me," Catherine said. "I saw you. It was a miserable
effort." "I wish she'd go away." "Don't be heartless,"
Catherine said. "And I did encourage her." "I tried not "I
egged her on about you. I'll go out and find her." "No. Wait a little
while. She's too sure of herself." "How can you say that, David? You
just broke her all up.
"I
did not."
'Well
something did. I'm going to go and get her."
But
it wasn't necessary because the girl came back to the bar where they were
standing and blushed and said, "I'm sorry." Her face was washed and
she had brushed her hair and she came up to David and kissed him on the mouth
very quickly and said, "I like my present. Did someone take my
drink?"
"I
threw it out," Catherine said. "David will make a new one.
"I
hope you still like having two girls," she said. "Because I am yours
and I'm going to be Catherine's too."
"I
don't go in for girls," Catherine said. It was very quiet and her voice
did not sound right either to herself or to David.
"Don't
you ever?"
"I
never have."
"I
can be your girl, if you ever want one, and David's too."
"Don't
you think that's sort of a vast undertaking?" Catherine asked.
"That's
why I came here," the girl said. "I thought that was what you
wanted."
"I've
never had a girl," Catherine said.
"I'm
so stupid," the girl said. "I didn't know. Is it true?
rich," Catherine said. "We'll both get it and then we can all see
each other when we talk rot and know how rotty it is. You can't fool a bar
mirror." "It's when I start looking quizzical in one that I know I've
lost," David said. "You never lose. How can you lose with two
girls?" Catherine said. "I tried to tell him," the girl said and
blushed for the first time that evening. "She's your girl and I'm your
girl," Catherine said. "Now stop being stuffy and be nice to your
girls. Don't you like the way they look? I'm the very fair one you
married." "You're darker and fairer than the one I married."
"So are you and I brought you a dark girl for a present. Don't you like
your present?" "I like my present very much." "How do you
like your future?" "I don't know about my future. "It isn't a
dark future is it?" the girl asked. "Very good," Catherine said.
"She's not only beautiful and rich and healthy and affectionate. She can
make jokes. Aren't you pleased with what I brought you?" "I'd rather
be a dark present than a dark future," the girl said. "She did it
again," Catherine said. "Give her a kiss David and make her a fair
present." David put his arm around the girl and kissed her and she started
to kiss him and turned her head away. Then she was crying with her head down
and both hands holding the bar. "Make a good joke now," David said to
Catherine. "I'm all right," the girl said. "Don't look at me.
I'm all right." Catherine put her arm around her and kissed her and
stroked her head. "I'll be all right," the girl said. "Please, I
know I'll be all right."
"I'm
so sorry," Catherine said. "Let me go please," the girl said.
"I have to go. "Well," David said when the girl was gone and
Catherine had come back to the bar. "You don't need to say it,"
Catherine said. "I'm sorry David." "She'll be back."
"You don't think it's all a fake now do you?" "They were real
tears if that's what you mean. "Don't be stupid. You aren't stupid."
"I kissed her very carefully." "Yes. On the mouth."
"Where did you expect me to kiss her?" "You were all right. I
haven't criticized you." "I'm glad you didn't ask me to kiss her when
we were at the beach." "I thought of it," Catherine said. She
laughed and it was like the old days before anyone had mixed in their life.
"Did you think I was going to?" "I thought you were so I dove
in." "Good thing you did." They laughed again. "Well, we've
cheered up," Catherine said. "Thank God," David said. "I
love you, Devil, and really I didn't kiss her to make all that." "You
don't have to tell me," Catherine said. "I saw you. It was a miserable
effort." "I wish she'd go away." "Don't be heartless,"
Catherine said. "And I did encourage her." "I tried not "I
egged her on about you. I'll go out and find her." "No. Wait a little
while. She's too sure of herself." "How can you say that, David? You
just broke her all up.
"I
did not."
'Well
something did. I'm going to go and get her."
But
it wasn't necessary because the girl came back to the bar where they were
standing and blushed and said, "I'm sorry." Her face was washed and
she had brushed her hair and she came up to David and kissed him on the mouth
very quickly and said, "I like my present. Did someone take my
drink?"
"I
threw it out," Catherine said. "David will make a new one.
"I
hope you still like having two girls," she said. "Because I am yours
and I'm going to be Catherine's too."
"I
don't go in for girls," Catherine said. It was very quiet and her voice
did not sound right either to herself or to David.
"Don't
you ever?"
"I
never have."
"I
can be your girl, if you ever want one, and David's too."
"Don't
you think that's sort of a vast undertaking?" Catherine asked.
"That's
why I came here," the girl said. "I thought that was what you
wanted."
"I've
never had a girl," Catherine said.
"I'm
so stupid," the girl said. "I didn't know. Is it true?
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