would shift their teaching loads around
to cover his absence.
Michael had a tight gut just thinking about Jellie being out of his sight for that long, thinking about her black hair blowing
in winds coming off the North Sea, about her laughing and going to the theater and never thinking of him, though there was
no particular reason she should. Selfish stuff, he knew that, but he recovered and said he’d pick up Jimmy’s intro-level course
in econometrics or find a graduate student who could do it. Jimmy promised to reciprocate some time, and Michael had no doubt
he would.
“Thanks a lot, Michael. That fixes everything up. We’re leaving in ten days, right after the semester is over, be back in
August. We’re going to travel during the summer.”
Jellie in Scotland, Jellie along the hedgerows, Jellie in Paris… Jellie where he couldn’t see her. An hour later she rapped
on Michael’s door. “Hi, motorcycle man. How’s the war?”
“The war is being won, Jellie. I’m whipping the students up the hills of December, and victory is mine, or will be in less
than two weeks.” She stood in the doorway instead of coming in and flopping down on a chair the way she usually did.
“Sorry I haven’t been by to say hello. I’ve been getting ready for my final exams, and Jim said he told you about the London
trip. God, what a mess, finding a house sitter on short notice, getting bills paid and things set up at the bank. I’ve been
running for days with no letup. What are you going to do over the holidays? Any big plans?”
“No, not much at all. It’s too damn cold to crank up the bike and ride it someplace. I’ll probably try to finish the paper
I’m doing on comparing complex structures so I can present it at the fall meetings. Get my trimonthly haircut, spend a few
days with my mother out in Custer over Christmas. Other than that, watch the snow fall, I guess, and listen to the Miles Davis
tapes I ordered while I spruce up my lectures for the class I’ll be covering for Jim. My notes in that area are a little yellowed.
It’ll go by pretty fast, it always does.” He wanted to say he’d be thinking about her every other minute, but he didn’t.
“Sounds pretty low key. No special Christmas wishes?”
He looked at the ceiling for a moment, struggling, trying to pull himself up and out of a self-indulgent funk. Michael had
wishes all right, but nothing he could talk about. He recovered and leaned back in his chair, fingers locked behind his head,
forcing a little grin. “Well, sometime I’d like a leather belt with
Orville
tooled on the back. Used to be a guy in Custer had one, and I thought it was pretty neat when I was a kid.”
Jellie grinned back. “Only you, Michael, of all the people I know, would say something like that. God, it’s almost surreal.”
“Well, life is surreal, Jellie. Except for Orville. He didn’t dwell on those things, just drove his grain truck and whistled
a lot.”
“I think Orville had it all worked out. I’d like to hear more about him, but I’ve got to run. I’ll try to stop in before we
leave. Take care, Michael, and say hello to Orville if you see him. Ask if he’ll write a self-help book for the rest of the
world.”
He watched her jeans as she left and walked down the hall, then got to his feet and went to the door so he could watch her
a little while longer. She looked back once, as if she knew he’d be standing there and fluttered her hand in a final wave
as she turned the corner, heading for the office of solid, steady James Braden.
Michael ran into her the following week in a small shopping area near the campus. They had coffee at Beano’s, sitting in a
back booth in midafternoon. Her exams were over and preparations for London were well along, so she was a little calmer and
seemed in no hurry this time. She was wearing one of her standard winter outfits: jeans, long-sleeved undershirt beneath a
flannel
to cover his absence.
Michael had a tight gut just thinking about Jellie being out of his sight for that long, thinking about her black hair blowing
in winds coming off the North Sea, about her laughing and going to the theater and never thinking of him, though there was
no particular reason she should. Selfish stuff, he knew that, but he recovered and said he’d pick up Jimmy’s intro-level course
in econometrics or find a graduate student who could do it. Jimmy promised to reciprocate some time, and Michael had no doubt
he would.
“Thanks a lot, Michael. That fixes everything up. We’re leaving in ten days, right after the semester is over, be back in
August. We’re going to travel during the summer.”
Jellie in Scotland, Jellie along the hedgerows, Jellie in Paris… Jellie where he couldn’t see her. An hour later she rapped
on Michael’s door. “Hi, motorcycle man. How’s the war?”
“The war is being won, Jellie. I’m whipping the students up the hills of December, and victory is mine, or will be in less
than two weeks.” She stood in the doorway instead of coming in and flopping down on a chair the way she usually did.
“Sorry I haven’t been by to say hello. I’ve been getting ready for my final exams, and Jim said he told you about the London
trip. God, what a mess, finding a house sitter on short notice, getting bills paid and things set up at the bank. I’ve been
running for days with no letup. What are you going to do over the holidays? Any big plans?”
“No, not much at all. It’s too damn cold to crank up the bike and ride it someplace. I’ll probably try to finish the paper
I’m doing on comparing complex structures so I can present it at the fall meetings. Get my trimonthly haircut, spend a few
days with my mother out in Custer over Christmas. Other than that, watch the snow fall, I guess, and listen to the Miles Davis
tapes I ordered while I spruce up my lectures for the class I’ll be covering for Jim. My notes in that area are a little yellowed.
It’ll go by pretty fast, it always does.” He wanted to say he’d be thinking about her every other minute, but he didn’t.
“Sounds pretty low key. No special Christmas wishes?”
He looked at the ceiling for a moment, struggling, trying to pull himself up and out of a self-indulgent funk. Michael had
wishes all right, but nothing he could talk about. He recovered and leaned back in his chair, fingers locked behind his head,
forcing a little grin. “Well, sometime I’d like a leather belt with
Orville
tooled on the back. Used to be a guy in Custer had one, and I thought it was pretty neat when I was a kid.”
Jellie grinned back. “Only you, Michael, of all the people I know, would say something like that. God, it’s almost surreal.”
“Well, life is surreal, Jellie. Except for Orville. He didn’t dwell on those things, just drove his grain truck and whistled
a lot.”
“I think Orville had it all worked out. I’d like to hear more about him, but I’ve got to run. I’ll try to stop in before we
leave. Take care, Michael, and say hello to Orville if you see him. Ask if he’ll write a self-help book for the rest of the
world.”
He watched her jeans as she left and walked down the hall, then got to his feet and went to the door so he could watch her
a little while longer. She looked back once, as if she knew he’d be standing there and fluttered her hand in a final wave
as she turned the corner, heading for the office of solid, steady James Braden.
Michael ran into her the following week in a small shopping area near the campus. They had coffee at Beano’s, sitting in a
back booth in midafternoon. Her exams were over and preparations for London were well along, so she was a little calmer and
seemed in no hurry this time. She was wearing one of her standard winter outfits: jeans, long-sleeved undershirt beneath a
flannel
Similar Books
