envy you your uniform.”
Willie glanced from his own brass-buttoned blues to Rubin’s gray single-breasted suit cut too full for the taste of Manhasset and Princeton. The peering baldish fat agent seemed a living cartoon of the Civilian. “I envy you yours,” he said with a quiet irony, and chose a chair opposite May, leaving Rubin between himself and the girl. “What are you drinking?”
Rubin beckoned to a waiter. “Scotch,” he said. “What will you have?”
“Double scotch,” said Willie.
“Good heavens,” said May. She regarded Willie in an intent, not quite friendly way.
“A man’s drink for a naval officer,” Rubin remarked. He lifted his half-empty glass. “I’ll finish mine and run along. May and I were just talking a little business till you got here.”
“Don’t rush off,” said Willie. “Have dinner with us. Sorry I’m late, May.”
“Marty is very good company. I didn’t mind,” answered the girl.
“Thanks,” said the agent. “I know when it’s time for a fill-in act to get off.” He drained his drink and stood. “Have yourselves a time, kids. By the way, your dinner is paid for.”
“Don’t be absurd,” said Willie.
“My pleasure. I’ve seen Frank,” he said, indicating the headwaiter. “Don’t let the sailor pay for anything, May. They’ll be gypping him. So long.”
Willie felt obliged to get up and shake Rubin’s hand. “Thank you,” he said. “That really wasn’t necessary.”
“My bit for the war effort,” said Rubin, and walked off with his heavy waddling gait.
“That was sweet of Marty,” said May. “I didn’t know he’d done it.”
“Very sweet. Also a bit vulgar,” said Willie, sitting and taking a deep gulp of his drink. “I don’t like favors to be pressed on me.”
“Go to hell,” said May. “Marty Rubin is my best friend in the world, and I include you-”
“I gather that. You’re inseparable.”
“I keep him around to remind me that there are decent men in the world who don’t consider every girl a thing to be jumped at and pawed-”
“Sorry I’m such a beast as to find you attractive. Possibly your friend prefers tall girls.”
May was conscious enough of her height to wear extra-high heels. The blow knocked out her wind for a moment, but she rallied. “How dared you talk to him like that?”
“I was very pleasant. I invited him to dinner-”
“The way you’d invite a dog to lie down by your chair.”
“I wanted to be alone with you because I love you and haven’t seen you for three weeks.”
“Three weeks and an afternoon.”
“All right.”
“Plus an extra hour.”
“I apologized for being late.”
“It would have been better, of course, for me to sit here by myself for an hour, looking as though I wanted to be picked up.
“May, I’m glad he was with you. I’m sorry I had to leave you. We’re together now. Let’s start from there.” He took her hand but she slipped it free.
“Possibly you don’t like Jews. Or Italians, either. They have a lot in common.”
“You really want to fight.”
“Yes!”
“What about? Not about Marty Rubin.”
“No. About us.” The girl’s fists were clenched in front of her on the table.
Willie’s heart ached, because she was so beautiful in the gray dress, with her dark red hair falling to her shoulders. “Wouldn’t you rather eat first?”
“I don’t want to eat.”
“Thank God. I couldn’t get down an olive myself. Let’s go to the Tahiti. One drink, then we fight.”
“Why there? If you think I’m sentimental about that place you’re wrong-”
“I said I’d meet my roommates there for a few minutes-”
“All right. I don’t care.”
But when they came to the Tahiti the check-room girl and Mr. Dennis and the musicians came flocking around to admire Willie’s uniform and joke about his romance with May. The thread of the quarrel was broken. They sat drinking glumly while the place filled with a noisy swelling crowd, mostly
Willie glanced from his own brass-buttoned blues to Rubin’s gray single-breasted suit cut too full for the taste of Manhasset and Princeton. The peering baldish fat agent seemed a living cartoon of the Civilian. “I envy you yours,” he said with a quiet irony, and chose a chair opposite May, leaving Rubin between himself and the girl. “What are you drinking?”
Rubin beckoned to a waiter. “Scotch,” he said. “What will you have?”
“Double scotch,” said Willie.
“Good heavens,” said May. She regarded Willie in an intent, not quite friendly way.
“A man’s drink for a naval officer,” Rubin remarked. He lifted his half-empty glass. “I’ll finish mine and run along. May and I were just talking a little business till you got here.”
“Don’t rush off,” said Willie. “Have dinner with us. Sorry I’m late, May.”
“Marty is very good company. I didn’t mind,” answered the girl.
“Thanks,” said the agent. “I know when it’s time for a fill-in act to get off.” He drained his drink and stood. “Have yourselves a time, kids. By the way, your dinner is paid for.”
“Don’t be absurd,” said Willie.
“My pleasure. I’ve seen Frank,” he said, indicating the headwaiter. “Don’t let the sailor pay for anything, May. They’ll be gypping him. So long.”
Willie felt obliged to get up and shake Rubin’s hand. “Thank you,” he said. “That really wasn’t necessary.”
“My bit for the war effort,” said Rubin, and walked off with his heavy waddling gait.
“That was sweet of Marty,” said May. “I didn’t know he’d done it.”
“Very sweet. Also a bit vulgar,” said Willie, sitting and taking a deep gulp of his drink. “I don’t like favors to be pressed on me.”
“Go to hell,” said May. “Marty Rubin is my best friend in the world, and I include you-”
“I gather that. You’re inseparable.”
“I keep him around to remind me that there are decent men in the world who don’t consider every girl a thing to be jumped at and pawed-”
“Sorry I’m such a beast as to find you attractive. Possibly your friend prefers tall girls.”
May was conscious enough of her height to wear extra-high heels. The blow knocked out her wind for a moment, but she rallied. “How dared you talk to him like that?”
“I was very pleasant. I invited him to dinner-”
“The way you’d invite a dog to lie down by your chair.”
“I wanted to be alone with you because I love you and haven’t seen you for three weeks.”
“Three weeks and an afternoon.”
“All right.”
“Plus an extra hour.”
“I apologized for being late.”
“It would have been better, of course, for me to sit here by myself for an hour, looking as though I wanted to be picked up.
“May, I’m glad he was with you. I’m sorry I had to leave you. We’re together now. Let’s start from there.” He took her hand but she slipped it free.
“Possibly you don’t like Jews. Or Italians, either. They have a lot in common.”
“You really want to fight.”
“Yes!”
“What about? Not about Marty Rubin.”
“No. About us.” The girl’s fists were clenched in front of her on the table.
Willie’s heart ached, because she was so beautiful in the gray dress, with her dark red hair falling to her shoulders. “Wouldn’t you rather eat first?”
“I don’t want to eat.”
“Thank God. I couldn’t get down an olive myself. Let’s go to the Tahiti. One drink, then we fight.”
“Why there? If you think I’m sentimental about that place you’re wrong-”
“I said I’d meet my roommates there for a few minutes-”
“All right. I don’t care.”
But when they came to the Tahiti the check-room girl and Mr. Dennis and the musicians came flocking around to admire Willie’s uniform and joke about his romance with May. The thread of the quarrel was broken. They sat drinking glumly while the place filled with a noisy swelling crowd, mostly
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