time until recently and I didn’t care. But somewhere along the line I made a terrible mistake. I forgot I was Tootsie Weaver-”
“Look, May-”
“Oh, sure, skinnier, younger, and somewhat more presentable-would you take either of us home to meet your mother?”
“May, we’re both kids-I’ll be out to sea in three months-”
“I know. You’re a darling, Willie. I hope you find a wonderful girl someday. I just don’t want another three months as Tootsie. I don’t want another evening of it. Not another minute, in fact.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she stood. “Never let it be said I earned you any demerits. Let’s go.”
They went out and climbed into a taxi, and fell into the most racking kisses they had ever exchanged. It was not pleasure, it was torment which neither could stop. The taxi drew up under the street lamp at the entrance to Furnald Hall. Willie’s wrist showed eleven twenty-five. “Keep going,” he said chokingly to the driver.
“Where to, mister?”
“I don’t care. Up and down Riverside Drive. Just so we get back here by midnight.”
“Right, mister.”
The driver started his motor and slid the glass panel closed between himself and his passengers. The taxi plunged downhill to the Drive. There were more kisses and broken futile words. May held Willie’s head comfortingly to her bosom, and stroked his hair. “Sometimes I think you like me,” she said.
“I don’t know why God makes human jellyfish like Willie Keith-”
“You know what Marty Rubin says?”
“Damn Marty Rubin.”
“You don’t know it, Willie, but he’s a friend of yours.” Willie sat up. “This whole mess started with him.”
“I asked him what I ought to do about you.”
“And be said throw me out.”
“No. He says he thinks you really love me.”
“Well, hooray for Marty.”
“He wondered whether I would become more acceptable to your mother if I enrolled in college.”
Willie was astounded. Moaning and protesting his undying love was one thing. But this was a serious matter.
“I could do it,” said May eagerly. “I could still get into the February class at Hunter. I had good marks in high school though you do consider me an ignoramus. I even have a Regents’ scholarship, if it’s still good. Marty says he can get me enough bookings in and around New- York to keep me going. I only work nights, anyway.”
Willie wanted to spar for time. His beautiful prize was drifting within reach again, but on sobering terms. May regarded him with lustrous, hopeful eyes. Her hard-boiled wariness was all gone.
“Could you stand going back to school?”
“I’m pretty tough,” she said.
Willie realized that she spoke truly. She was not a companion for good times any more, but a challenger to his mother for his life. It had all changed in a few minutes; he was dizzied. “I’ll tell you God’s truth, May. I don’t think it would make a particle of difference to my mother.”
“Would it to you?”
Willie looked into her eyes, and quailed, and turned away.
“Don’t trouble, darling,” she said with sudden dryness. “I predicted the answer to Marty. I said I don’t blame you. I don’t. Tell the little man to take you back to the Navy. It’s late.”
But when the taxi parked again at Furnald Hall and Willie had to get out and leave May behind forever, he couldn’t do it. At three minutes to twelve, he started a desperate harangue to recover lost ground. On the sidewalk outside, midshipmen were running, walking, and staggering toward the entrance. Several were kissing girls in nooks of the building. The tenor of Willie’s plea was that he and May ought to live for the hour, and gather rosebuds while they might, and drink for once dead they never would return, and youth was a stuff that would not endure, and so forth. It took him the whole three minutes to round out this message. The couples outside finished their business. The stream of midshipmen disappeared. But Willie, with
“Look, May-”
“Oh, sure, skinnier, younger, and somewhat more presentable-would you take either of us home to meet your mother?”
“May, we’re both kids-I’ll be out to sea in three months-”
“I know. You’re a darling, Willie. I hope you find a wonderful girl someday. I just don’t want another three months as Tootsie. I don’t want another evening of it. Not another minute, in fact.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she stood. “Never let it be said I earned you any demerits. Let’s go.”
They went out and climbed into a taxi, and fell into the most racking kisses they had ever exchanged. It was not pleasure, it was torment which neither could stop. The taxi drew up under the street lamp at the entrance to Furnald Hall. Willie’s wrist showed eleven twenty-five. “Keep going,” he said chokingly to the driver.
“Where to, mister?”
“I don’t care. Up and down Riverside Drive. Just so we get back here by midnight.”
“Right, mister.”
The driver started his motor and slid the glass panel closed between himself and his passengers. The taxi plunged downhill to the Drive. There were more kisses and broken futile words. May held Willie’s head comfortingly to her bosom, and stroked his hair. “Sometimes I think you like me,” she said.
“I don’t know why God makes human jellyfish like Willie Keith-”
“You know what Marty Rubin says?”
“Damn Marty Rubin.”
“You don’t know it, Willie, but he’s a friend of yours.” Willie sat up. “This whole mess started with him.”
“I asked him what I ought to do about you.”
“And be said throw me out.”
“No. He says he thinks you really love me.”
“Well, hooray for Marty.”
“He wondered whether I would become more acceptable to your mother if I enrolled in college.”
Willie was astounded. Moaning and protesting his undying love was one thing. But this was a serious matter.
“I could do it,” said May eagerly. “I could still get into the February class at Hunter. I had good marks in high school though you do consider me an ignoramus. I even have a Regents’ scholarship, if it’s still good. Marty says he can get me enough bookings in and around New- York to keep me going. I only work nights, anyway.”
Willie wanted to spar for time. His beautiful prize was drifting within reach again, but on sobering terms. May regarded him with lustrous, hopeful eyes. Her hard-boiled wariness was all gone.
“Could you stand going back to school?”
“I’m pretty tough,” she said.
Willie realized that she spoke truly. She was not a companion for good times any more, but a challenger to his mother for his life. It had all changed in a few minutes; he was dizzied. “I’ll tell you God’s truth, May. I don’t think it would make a particle of difference to my mother.”
“Would it to you?”
Willie looked into her eyes, and quailed, and turned away.
“Don’t trouble, darling,” she said with sudden dryness. “I predicted the answer to Marty. I said I don’t blame you. I don’t. Tell the little man to take you back to the Navy. It’s late.”
But when the taxi parked again at Furnald Hall and Willie had to get out and leave May behind forever, he couldn’t do it. At three minutes to twelve, he started a desperate harangue to recover lost ground. On the sidewalk outside, midshipmen were running, walking, and staggering toward the entrance. Several were kissing girls in nooks of the building. The tenor of Willie’s plea was that he and May ought to live for the hour, and gather rosebuds while they might, and drink for once dead they never would return, and youth was a stuff that would not endure, and so forth. It took him the whole three minutes to round out this message. The couples outside finished their business. The stream of midshipmen disappeared. But Willie, with
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