Long Walk to Forever
Catharine stopped again. ¡°You know what happens next?¡± she said.
¡°Nope,¡± he said.
¡°We shake hands,¡± she said. ¡°We shake hands and part friends,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s what happens next.¡±
Newt nodded. ¡°All right,¡± he said. ¡°Remember me from time to time. Remember how much I loved you.¡±
Involuntarily, Catharine burst into tears. She turned her back to Newt, looked into the infinite rows of trees in the woods.
¡°What does that mean?¡± said Newt.
¡°Rage!¡± said Catharine. She clenched her hands. ¡°You have no right¡ª¡±
¡°I had to find out,¡± he said.
¡°If I¡¯d loved you,¡± she said, ¡°I would have let you know before now.¡±
¡°You would?¡± he said.
¡°Yes,¡±she said. She faced him, looked up at him, her face quite red. ¡°You would have known,¡± she said.
¡°How?¡± He said.
¡°You would have seen it,¡± she said. ¡°Women aren¡¯t very clever at hiding it.¡±
Newt looked closely at Catharine¡¯s face now. To her distress, she realized that what
she had said was true, that a woman wouldn¡¯t hide love.
Newt was seeing love now.
And he did what he had to do. He kissed her.
¡°You¡¯re hell to get along with!¡± she said when Newt let her go.
¡°I am?¡± said Newt.
¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± she said.
¡°You didn¡¯t like it?¡± he said.
¡°What did you expect,¡± she said¡ª ¡° wild, abandoned passion?¡±
¡°I keep telling you,¡± he said, ¡°I never know what¡¯s going to happen next.¡±
¡°We say good-bye,¡± she said.
He frowned slightly. ¡°All right,¡± he said.
She made another speech. ¡°I¡¯m not sorry we kissed,¡± she said. ¡°That was sweet. We should have kissed, we¡¯ve been so close. I¡¯ll always remember you, Newt, and good luck.¡±
¡°You too,¡± he said.
¡°Thank you, Newt.¡± she said.
¡°Thirty days,¡± he said.
¡°What?¡± she said.
¡°Thirty days in the stockade,¡± he said¡ª ¡°that¡¯s what one kiss will cost me.¡±
¡°I¡ªI¡¯m sorry,¡± she said, ¡°but I didn¡¯t ask you to go A.W.O.L.¡±
¡°I know,¡± he said.
¡°You certainly don¡¯t deserve any hero¡¯s reward for doing something as foolish as that,¡± she said.
¡°Must be nice to be a hero,¡± said Newt. ¡°Is Henry Stewart Chasens a hero?¡±
¡°He might be, if he got the chance,¡± said Catharine. She noted uneasily that they had begun to walk again. The farewell had been forgotten.
¡°You really love him?¡± he said.
¡°Certainly I love him!¡± she said angrily. ¡°I would not marry him if I didn¡¯t love him!¡±
¡°What¡¯s good about him?¡± said Newt.
¡°Honestly!¡± she cried, stopping again. ¡°Do you have any idea how offensive you¡¯re being? Many, many, many things are good about Henry! Yes,¡± she said, ¡°and many, many, many things are probably bad too. But that isn¡¯t any of your business. I love Henry, and I don¡¯t have to argue his merits with you!¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± said Newt.
¡°Honestly!¡± said Catharine.
Newt kissed her again. He kissed her again because she wanted him to.
They were now in a large orchard.
¡°How did we get so far from home, Newt?¡± said Catharine.
¡°One foot in front of the other¡ªthrough leaves, over bridges,¡± said Newt.
¡°They add up¡ªthe steps,¡± she said.
Bells rang in the tower of the school for the blind nearby.
¡°School for the blind,¡± said Newt.
¡°School for the blind,¡± said Catharine. She shook her head in drowsy wonder. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go back now,¡± she said.
¡°Say good-by,¡± said Newt.
¡°Every time I do,¡± said Catharine, ¡°I seem to get kissed.¡±
Newt sat down on the close-cropped grass under an apple tree. ¡°Sit down,¡± he said.
¡°I won¡¯t touch you,¡± he said.
¡°I don¡¯t believe you,¡± she said.
She sat down under another tree, twenty feet away from him. She closed her eyes.
¡°Dream of Henry Stewart Chasens,¡± he said.
¡°What?¡± she said.
¡°Dream of your wonderful husband-to-be,¡± he said.
¡°All right, I will,¡± she said. She closed her eyes tighter, caught glimpses of her husband-to-be.
Newt yawned.
The bees were humming in the trees, and Catharine almost fell asleep. When she opened her eyes she saw that Newt really was asleep.
He began to snore softly.
Catharine let Newt sleep for an hour, and while he slept she adored him with all her heart.
The shadows of the apple trees grew to the east. The bells in the tower of the school for the blind rang again.
¡°Chick-a-dee-dee-dee.¡± went a chickadee
Somewhere far away an automobile starter nagged and failed, nagged and failed, fell still.
Catharine came out from under her tree, knelt by Newt.
¡°Newt?¡± she said.
¡°H¡¯m?¡± he said. He opened his eyes.
¡°Late,¡± she said.
¡°Hello, Catharine,¡± he said.
¡°Hello, Newt,¡± she said.
¡°I love you,¡± he said.
¡°I know,¡± she said.
¡°Too late,¡± he said.
¡°Too late,¡± she said.
He stood, stretched groaningly. ¡°A very nice walk.¡± he said.
¡°I thought so,¡± she said.
¡°Part company here?¡± he said.
¡°Where will you go?¡± she said.
¡°Hitch into town, turn myself in,¡± he said.
¡°Good luck,¡± she said.
¡°You,too,¡± he said. ¡°Marry me, Catharine?¡±
¡°No,¡± she said.
He smiled, stared at her hard for a moment, then walked away quickly.
Catharine watched him grow smaller in the long perspective of shadows and trees, knew that
if he stopped and turned now, if he called to her, she would run to him. She would have no
choice.
Newt did stop. He did turn. He did call. ¡°Catharine,¡± he called.
She ran to him, put her arms around him, could not speak.
|
