Edith’s Diary by Patricia Highsmith Page B

‘Because I know he did open the door on purpose. And I don’t even think it was Mildew, I think he poked at it with a knife to ruin it.’ She was finished. She put her face in her hands.
    Marion held her in one arm, rocked her on the sofa.
    And suddenly it was over. Edith lifted her head, smiled, and said, ‘I’m sorry. It’s the shock of it.’ It struck Edith that Ed was strangely silent, sober, that he perhaps didn’t like them, that he thought the atmosphere crazy, unnatural.
    Edith heard the stomp of a foot on the porch, then their bell rang with a loud peal.
    ‘Maybe the hospital,’ Marion said.
    Brett opened the door.
    ‘Hello! Merry Christmas!’
    Gert and Norm Johnson and Derek stomped the snow off their boots on the doorstep, removed boots, and entered in stocking feet, carrying presents in red and white striped paper.
    ‘Merry Christmas, everybody!’ Gert repeated, smiling broadly.
    ‘Merry Christmas!’ Edith replied, and got up smiling. ‘This is Marion Zylstra – and her husband Ed. Our neighbors the Johnsons.’
    ‘How do you do?’ said Gert.
    ‘Howdy do?’ from Norman.
    ‘Heard a lot about you,’ Marion said.
    ‘And Derek,’ Edith continued.
    ‘Evening,’ said Derek.
    ‘Boy’s just had three glasses of punch and he’s as oiled as we are,’ Norm said. His tasseled scarf hung nearly to the floor, and there was a hole in the toe of one of his socks. ‘Hee-
yappy
Christmas!’
    ‘Same to you!’ Brett replied, and at that moment he and the rest heard the drone of an ambulance siren.
    ‘Jesus, what a time for a car accident,’ Norm said. ‘Or maybe somebody’s reenacting Washington crossing the Delaware —’ Norm broke off, stifled by laughter.
    ‘You know some of these idiots around here,’ Gert began cheerfully to Marion, ‘get into a rowboat Christmas Eve and fall in. Our town’s called Washington Crossing, where he crossed on Christmas Eve to surprise the British at Trenton. Maybe —’
    ‘Let’s have the date, mom!’ said Derek. ‘Seventeen —’
    The doorbell rang.
    Gert set her two packages down on the floor under the tree. ‘God bless!’
    ‘Cliffie just jumped in the river,’ Brett said, more or less to Gert.
    ‘Huh?’ said Norm.
    Brett went to the door.
    Gert was listening, and Edith said, ‘It’s true, Cliffie jumped off the bridge – and the hospital’s just bringing him home.’
    Norm looked at her blankly.
    Derek took it in, Edith saw from his face.
    ‘I hope he didn’t hit any rocks,’ Derek said.
    ‘Come in,’ Brett said to someone at the door.
    A tall redheaded young man came in with Cliffie in his arms. Cliffie was swathed in blankets. A second intern followed, ready to lend assistance. Marion got up from the sofa.
    ‘He’s all right. They thought since it’s Christmas Eve —’ said the man carrying Cliffie.
    ‘Put him on the sofa,’ Brett said. ‘Or does he have to —’
    ‘How you doing, Cliffie?’ asked George, who was still seated on the sofa.
    Cliffie looked quite alert, was even smiling, but he didn’t say anything. The intern installed him in a corner of the sofa, setting Cliffie upright.
    ‘You’re all right, Cliffie?’ Edith asked, bending over him. ‘Where’s your hand?’ She had extended her hand. Cliffie was wrapped like a papoose. As soon as she thought this, she heard Gert saying:
    ‘… like a
papoose
!’
    ‘Oh, he’s warm enough now. That was the main thing,’ one of the interns was saying to Brett. ‘He’s not in danger, or we wouldn’t have brought him home.’
    ‘Can I offer you a drink?’ Brett asked the interns.
    ‘Well, I – We shouldn’t, because we’re on duty tonight,’ said the redheaded intern, looking as if he wanted to stay for a drink. ‘Your boy jumped, they said.’ He glanced quickly at Cliffie. ‘You should look into that. We’re just a hospital, you know.’ He was almost whispering.
    Brett nodded. ‘You’ll send us the bill, I trust.’
    ‘Not sure there’ll be