On Beauty by Zadie Smith Page B

skull from Howard’s imputations of extreme old age and was cut no diff erently than it would have been when the man was twenty-two, balanced on the lip of a white boat looking out at Nantucket through one sun-shading hand, wondering if that was Dolly stood square on the pier with two highballs in her hand. Compare and contrast with Erskine: his shining, hairless pate, and those storybook freckles that induced in Howard an unreasonable feeling of joy. Erskine was dressed this evening in a three-piece suit of the yellowest of yellows, the curves of his bumptious body naturally resisting all three pieces. On his small feet he wore a pair of pointed Cuban-heeled shoes. The effect was of a bull doing his initialtwo-step dance towards you. Still ten yards away, Howard had a chance to switch his position with his wife – quickly and unobserved – so that Erskine would naturally veer towards Howard and French would go the other way. He took this opportunity. Unfortunately French was not given to duologic conversation – he addressed the group, always. No – he addressed the gaps between the group.
    â€˜Belseys en masse ,’ said Jack French very slowly, and each Belsey tried to ascertain which Belsey he might be looking at directly. ‘Missing . . . one , I believe. Belseys minus one.’
    â€˜That’s Levi, our youngest – we lost him. He lost us. To be honest, he’s trying to lose us,’ said Kiki coarsely and laughed, and Jerome laughed and Zora laughed and so did Howard and Erskine and after all of them, very slowly, with infinite slowness, Jack French began to laugh.
    â€˜My children,’ began Jack.
    â€˜Yes?’ said Howard.
    â€˜Spend most of their time,’ said Jack.
    â€˜Yes, yes,’ said Howard, encouragingly.
    â€˜ Contriving ,’ said Jack.
    â€˜Ha, ha,’ said Howard. ‘ Yes .’
    â€˜To lose me at public events,’ said Jack finally.
    â€˜Right,’ said Howard, exhausted already. ‘Right. Always the way.’
    â€˜We are anathema to our own children,’ said Erskine merrily, with his scale-jumping accent, from high to low and back again. ‘We are liked only by other people’s children. Your children for example like me so much more than they like you .’
    â€˜It’s true, man. I’d move in with you if I could,’ said Jerome in return, for which he got the standard Erskine response to good tidings, even minor ones like the arrival of a new gin and tonic on the table – both of Erskine’s hands placed on his cheeks and a kiss on the forehead.
    â€˜You will come home with me, then. It is settled.’
    â€˜Please, take the rest too. Don’t dangle carrots,’ said Howard, stepping forward and giving Erskine a jovial slap on the back. He then turned to Jack French and put out his hand, which French, who had turned to gaze upon the musicians, did not notice.
    â€˜Wonderful, isn’t it?’ said Kiki. ‘We’re so glad to bump into you two. Is Maisie here, Jack? Or the kids?’
    â€˜It is wonderful,’ confirmed Jack, putting his hands on his slim hips.
    Zora was elbowing her father in his mid-section. Howard observed the moon-eyes his daughter was making at Dean French. It was typical of Zora that when actually faced with the authority figure she had been cursing out all week she would simply swoon at said authority figure’s feet.
    â€˜Jack,’ tried Howard, ‘you’ve met Zora, haven’t you? She’s a sophomore now.’
    â€˜It is an unusual visitation of wonder,’ said Jack, turning back to them all.
    â€˜Yes,’ said Howard.
    â€˜For such a prosaic and,’ expanded Jack.
    â€˜Hmm,’ said Howard.
    â€˜ Municipal setting,’ said Jack, and beamed at Zora.
    â€˜Dean French,’ said Zora, picking up Jack’s hand and shaking it for him, ‘I’m so excited about this year. It’s an