you. My father lives in the distant past, and my brother and I have always lived from moment to moment, or at most from day to day. We never talk about the future. I suppose I have always thought of the future as a great heap of tomorrows each waiting its turn to become today.”
“How then do you make plans?”
“Plans? We don’t. That is… we don’t plan in the sense that we seek to achieve things, or become something. We do, of course, try our best to avoid embarrassments… difficulties.”
“Difficulties of what kind?”
She looked at me over the rim of her glass. “Oh, of all kinds.”
“Perhaps that’s what’s wrong with your brother.”
“I was not aware there was anything wrong with Paul.”
“Maybe if he had met a few difficulties along the way, he wouldn’t be so bored with life, so superior in his attitudes.”
“Aren’t you being a bit of a snob?”
“Me? A snob?”
“Not everyone has had a life of struggle to exercise him and make him strong. Not everyone is free to make a career, to anticipate a future.” Her smile was tinged with a sadness that drew my tenderest feelings towards her. Then, with a faint shift in the corners of her eyes, the smile became a look of serious examination as she searched the features of my face one by one in a way that quite discomfited me. “Dr. Montjean, are you aware that you are handsome?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Most handsome men know it only too well, and their confident posturing is a nuisance. But you don’t seem to be aware of your beauty. It’s an attractive ignorance.”
I shook my head, nonplussed. “Young women shouldn’t call young men beautiful.”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Well… it isn’t done.”
“I don’t care about what’s done and not done.”
“Nevertheless… and furthermore it’s embarrassing.”
“Is it? Yes, I suppose it is. Well, I’m afraid we may have a more serious kind of embarrassment coming our way.” With a lift of her chin she indicated the sky, and I looked up to discover that while I had been absorbed in our chat, a shift of wind had brought the pewter-bellied clouds back over the village. Puffs of cool wind began to eddy up little dust swirls on the cobbled square.
“It looks as though we shall have to wait the rain out,” I said, the image of the gazebo coming to mind.
“Oh, but I can’t! Father doesn’t know I’ve come into the village. He would be distressed not to find me home, when he emerges from his ‘work’ for his tea.”
“But… surely you can’t ride your bicycle back in the rain!”
“I don’t see that I have any choice. I’ll make a race of it and, who knows, perhaps I can beat the rain back.”
“I can’t allow it.”
She looked at me with comic surprise. “You can’t allow it?”
“I didn’t mean that exactly.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Listen. Tell you what. I’ll get the clinic’s sulky and tie your machine on behind. And we’ll race the rain together.”
“But… even if we won, surely you would get drenched on the way back.”
“I don’t mind. In fact, I’d rather enjoy it.”
She looked at me quizzically. “You know, I believe you would. Very well. Let’s race the rain.”
* * *
When I asked Doctor Gros if I could use the sulky, he turned his eyes to the ceiling. “Aiding and abetting, the judges will call it! Accomplice before the fact! My career will be in ruins. My reputation will be… well, my career anyway will be damaged. I don’t suppose it’s any use to appeal to your sense of honor, but you might at least—Montjean!” he called after me. “You could have the decency to hear me out, you know!”
* * *
Katya and I came within three minutes of winning our race against the weather, but from the point of view of our appearance when we arrived at the courtyard of Etcheverria, we might as well have lost by half an hour. We were soaked to the skin, as her white silk parasol was comically ineffective.
Just
“How then do you make plans?”
“Plans? We don’t. That is… we don’t plan in the sense that we seek to achieve things, or become something. We do, of course, try our best to avoid embarrassments… difficulties.”
“Difficulties of what kind?”
She looked at me over the rim of her glass. “Oh, of all kinds.”
“Perhaps that’s what’s wrong with your brother.”
“I was not aware there was anything wrong with Paul.”
“Maybe if he had met a few difficulties along the way, he wouldn’t be so bored with life, so superior in his attitudes.”
“Aren’t you being a bit of a snob?”
“Me? A snob?”
“Not everyone has had a life of struggle to exercise him and make him strong. Not everyone is free to make a career, to anticipate a future.” Her smile was tinged with a sadness that drew my tenderest feelings towards her. Then, with a faint shift in the corners of her eyes, the smile became a look of serious examination as she searched the features of my face one by one in a way that quite discomfited me. “Dr. Montjean, are you aware that you are handsome?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Most handsome men know it only too well, and their confident posturing is a nuisance. But you don’t seem to be aware of your beauty. It’s an attractive ignorance.”
I shook my head, nonplussed. “Young women shouldn’t call young men beautiful.”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Well… it isn’t done.”
“I don’t care about what’s done and not done.”
“Nevertheless… and furthermore it’s embarrassing.”
“Is it? Yes, I suppose it is. Well, I’m afraid we may have a more serious kind of embarrassment coming our way.” With a lift of her chin she indicated the sky, and I looked up to discover that while I had been absorbed in our chat, a shift of wind had brought the pewter-bellied clouds back over the village. Puffs of cool wind began to eddy up little dust swirls on the cobbled square.
“It looks as though we shall have to wait the rain out,” I said, the image of the gazebo coming to mind.
“Oh, but I can’t! Father doesn’t know I’ve come into the village. He would be distressed not to find me home, when he emerges from his ‘work’ for his tea.”
“But… surely you can’t ride your bicycle back in the rain!”
“I don’t see that I have any choice. I’ll make a race of it and, who knows, perhaps I can beat the rain back.”
“I can’t allow it.”
She looked at me with comic surprise. “You can’t allow it?”
“I didn’t mean that exactly.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“Listen. Tell you what. I’ll get the clinic’s sulky and tie your machine on behind. And we’ll race the rain together.”
“But… even if we won, surely you would get drenched on the way back.”
“I don’t mind. In fact, I’d rather enjoy it.”
She looked at me quizzically. “You know, I believe you would. Very well. Let’s race the rain.”
* * *
When I asked Doctor Gros if I could use the sulky, he turned his eyes to the ceiling. “Aiding and abetting, the judges will call it! Accomplice before the fact! My career will be in ruins. My reputation will be… well, my career anyway will be damaged. I don’t suppose it’s any use to appeal to your sense of honor, but you might at least—Montjean!” he called after me. “You could have the decency to hear me out, you know!”
* * *
Katya and I came within three minutes of winning our race against the weather, but from the point of view of our appearance when we arrived at the courtyard of Etcheverria, we might as well have lost by half an hour. We were soaked to the skin, as her white silk parasol was comically ineffective.
Just
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