Pure Spring by Brian Doyle Page A

cellophane...and pour down the warm Honee Orange, down your throat until it feels smooth and sweet and it makes your nose squeeze up it’s so delicious, and then you’re not thirsty any more for a while and...what’s Randy talking about now...?
    â€œ...tulips. Boy oh boy I can hardly wait for all those tulips to come up. You know what a tulip reminds me of?”
    â€œWhat,” I say.
    â€œGuess,” says Randy.
    I can guess but I won’t.
    â€œI don’t know,” I say.
    â€œA woman’s patootie, banana brain!”
    Banana brain? Where does he get these brilliant sayings? Patootie?
    â€œAnyway, the tulips in Ottawa when they come up they all come from Holland, did ya know that? I was over in Holland in the war. The women, the girls really loved old Randy over there, you know what I’m sayin’? Their favorite Canuck was yours truly and you better believe it. Near wore me out, they did! Come closer to killin’ me than the Germans did and that’s the truth!”
    What was that last thing she said to me? Could you come to me sooner? No, it wasn’t that. When will I see you again? No. She said when does the truck come again. I said a week or so. She said, “That’s too bad.” What beautiful words. That’s. Too. Bad. Like music.
    Randy again: “But no more of that for Randy. Cause ol’ Randy’s married now. Settled down. Got the most beautiful...you ever see the movie
Neptune’s Daughter
starring Esther Williams? Technicolor? Esther sells bathing suits. Designs them or something. Every five minutes she comes out in a new bathing suit. Drives ya crazy! This handsome guy tries to get her into bed. Sings her this stupid song about how cold it is outside. And, oh yeah, Red Skelton falls in the pool — he’s the funny guy. Anyway, my new wife looks a lot like Esther...long legs, beautiful skin, lovely breasts.”
    I’m wondering what Grampa Rip would say about Randy. “This fella needs to have the inside of his head hosed out...” Something like that, probably.
    â€œ...legs long like Esther’s, really narrow waist, nicebreasts like that, nice beautiful smile like that — except her hair...her hair is more thicker and curly blonde, golden blonde. You should see her in her Esther Williams swim suit. She has one, ya know. I bought one for her. I buy her everything. Did ya know. They like ya to buy stuff fer them. Nice stuff. They’ll do anything for you if you buy them stuff. And praise their hair. They like that. You know what I’m sayin’?”
    Oh, Gerty, I wish I was with you right now instead of this...this...
    What Happened • Three
    Y OUR FATHER was showing everybody the car he borrowed. Proud of it, he was.
    â€œA brand-new ’51 Buick, four-door sedan. One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-five bucks is what she cost!”
    You remembered how worried was Horrors’ face as you drove off skidding down the snow-packed street. You waved. Trying to say with the wave to Horrors not to worry. Everything will be all right with the car.
    Your father driving off, never looking back.
    Some of the neighbors were out in the street to say good-bye. Mrs. Laflamme was whispering to Mrs. Sawyer, “It’s for the best. She hasn’t been the same all this time — four or five years, is it? — since she lost the baby. And Phil is more and more of a burden...getting bigger
and bigger...harder to handle!”
    â€œAnd she gets absolutely no help at home...”
    â€œIt will be hard for a while but it’s best in the long run...’’
    â€œIt’s very sad, it is.”
    Phil was in a good mood when you helped put him in the backseat. He had extra napkins on, in case. He had a rubber toy that squeaked when he squeezed. He showed it to you. His strange eyes. He has feelings, you thought.
    Your mother was standing fussing with her clothes and her purse.
    â€œCome