enovel Between The Two Ann Freeman [Future Story Codes]

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Between The Two ....(89k)    by Ann Freeman

Ann Freeman writes...

I set the coffee cup that I was holding on the table and walked through the bedroom into the living room. I stared through rather than at my husband. Behind him stood Eddie.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, "haven't you got a kiss for your husband?"

I ignored his exaggerated sweetness and watched Eddie. Her hair was mussed and there was a smudge of dirt on her face. Then I looked at Ty. If Eddie's appearance could be described as mussed, then his would best be called beat up. His uniform was wrinkled and dirty, and there was blood drying on his chin. His hair looked as though it had gone uncombed for weeks.

"I brought him home, Elise. He had a few too many at the joint, and had a little disagreement with Jeff and the boys."

I pleaded with my eyes for Eddie to stay, but she was already going back out the door. I took a step toward her, but Ty stopped me.

"Seems like your friend is pretty friendly with the guys she works with too. They love her. Or is she a him?"

"You stinking, filthy bastard! You ought to be castrated!"

I slapped at him, but his hand caught my wrist. He twisted my arm behind my back and forced me to walk toward the bedroom. I cried out with pain as he pushed me across the bed. He tore at my clothes until they were nothing but shreds. Then he threw off his own clothes, mumbling drunkenly to himself.

"I'll show you. I'll show you, you little bitch. You are gonna know how it feels to be had by a man. So I never satisfied you. Well I will tonight. I'll satisfy you, or kill you trying!"

CHAPTER ONE

I pulled the pillow over my head to shut out the sound of the telephone's insistent ringing. Silently I counted the times the bell rang... seven, eight, nine. I pushed the pillow away and got out of bed.

As I crossed the room to the dresser where the phone was, I rubbed my eyes. Before I answered I knew it would be my mother-in-law. She phoned me every morning at precisely eight-thirty to invite me to dinner, and to watch television with her afterward.

"Hello." Her high pitched, almost whining voice came through the instrument and grated on my ear. "Hello, Elise. Were you still in bed?"

"Yes, Mother Harris. I was."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. But I was sure you'd be up by now. You left so early last night. Well, I won't keep you. I just wanted to know if I should expect you tonight."

"Not tonight, I'm afraid."

I could picture the surprise on her pinched, wrinkled face. This would be the first time in nearly eighteen months I had missed having dinner with her.

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry you can't come. I'd planned such a lovely dinner. It is Ty's birthday, you know."

"Yes, Mother. I know. But I'd like to do something different for a change. I thought perhaps I'd have dinner out and go to a movie afterward."

"Don't you think it might be dangerous? A young woman out alone at night? Would you like for me to go with you?" She sounded almost insistent.

"Mother, would you mind terribly if I went alone? I'll take a taxi home. I'd just like for everything to be different for this one night. Honestly, I'm so bored I could cry."

"Well! I certainly am sorry that I bothered you!"

"I didn't mean that. It's just that I've done the very same things every day for a year and a half. Ever since Ty went to Europe. If I don't break the routine, I'll go crazy. And you will too. You haven't done a single thing that's not routine for years." "I'll call you tomorrow, Elise."

The click announced that she had broken the connection. I started to dial her number, then banged the receiver into the cradle with finality.

"To hell with her," I mumbled.

I walked back to the bed and threw myself across it. I grinned as I pictured her stalking to the kitchen, her back as stiff as the dark dresses she always wore. She would have her hands hidden under the striped apron so that Papa Harris would not see that they were clenched into white little balls. Papa would sit and sip his third cup of coffee while Mother walked back and forth, scolding because I was not coming over and because Papa was not listening.

My mother-in-law was a good woman, I guess. But she was what I considered over-protective, and very nosey. First it was Ty, who was a spoiled, rotten brat. There was absolutely no hope for changing him. Funny how I hadn't noticed it when we were going steady. Of course, weekends for only three months isn't really long enough to get to know a person very well.

But oh, how I got to know him in the five months that we were married, before he went overseas. I was so glad that government regulations prevented me from going with him. At least I would get away from his whining for a while. And who knows? Maybe he'd grow up before he came back home.

And now Mother was trying to protect me. From what? I had no idea. But I intended to find out. She'd practically fainted at Papa's suggestion that I go out some night and take in the town. She even had a heart to heart talk with me about the evils of drink and how it could make a young girl do things she would never dream of doing if she hadn't taken that first drink.

After eighteen months I was ready for that first drink and that first night out alone. Eighteen months of Wednesday afternoon movies, Friday afternoon shopping, and seven nights a week of dinner and television with my in-laws had made me ready for a much needed change.

I dozed off and when I woke up it was almost noon. I took a quick bath and pulled a dress out of the closet. It was an old one, but it was the best I had. I slipped it on and took a look at myself in the mirror. The light blue color was becoming, but that was all that I could see that was good about it. I knew now what I would do--go shopping for a new dress. I pulled my long black hair back into a pony tail and put on a little lipstick.

Then I went to the dresser and got my bank book, which I put into my purse. I paused at the door only for a moment when the phone began to ring. It would be Mother again. The call was not important enough to me to delay my shopping trip. I closed the door quickly behind me and left for town.

* * *

"Are you really my image?" I asked the girl who smiled back at me from the mirror. I turned slowly to admire the reflection.

The salesgirl had been right. This dress was made for me. The neckline, deceivingly high in the front, dipped almost halfway down my back, the tight-fitting waist and the straight, sheath-like skirt fitted perfectly. Even the bright red was right for me. I was glad I'd taken the money from my savings account to spend on this one night. It would probably take me another year to save fifty dollars again, but it would be worth it.

I slipped on the white linen pumps, put on my new white hat and gloves and picked up the little clutch bag I'd bought. After checking to be sure that I'd not forgotten the last ten dollars of my savings, I went out onto the step to wait for my cab. It was just pulling up.

"Where to lady?" the driver asked impersonally.

"I don't know the city too well. Do they have any bands that play tonight?"

"Almost all the joints have bands on Friday night. Which one do you want to go to?"

"Take me to the one that has the best band." He shrugged his shoulders and pulled the hand down on the meter as the taxi glided smoothly away from the curbing.

He drove for about ten minutes before he stopped at the place.

"Eighty-five, lady."

I gave him a dollar and got out without waiting for the change. Walking quickly so that I wouldn't lose what little confidence I still had, I walked into the open door of the Arcadia Lounge.

A waiter led me to a table near the back of the long narrow room. When he bent his elbows to pull the chair out for me, I imagined I could hear the crisp white jacket tear. It was much too small for him. While I waited for my drink, I glanced around.

The walls were papered in a New Orleans street scene. There were too many tables set too close together, but no one seemed to mind. Behind the bar, which ran the full length of the room, was a mirror that ran the full length of the bar. In the center of the mirror was a cash register that rang almost every other second. And above the cash register was a picture of a sleek looking man, probably the proprietor.

There was an elevated platform directly opposite the picture, and I guessed that it must be awfully crowded when the band was playing. It looked pretty small, and even smaller with the instruments crowded onto it. The band wasn't on the stand yet.

"When will the band start?' I asked when the waiter brought me the drink. He looked at his watch.

"About half ail hour, Miss. From nine until one."

"Thank you."

I paid him for the drink, and took a sip to see if it tasted as good as it should. It had cost plenty. It was so weak I couldn't taste the alcohol, although I was sure I'd asked for a highball. And highballs were made with whisky, or so I'd been told.

I'd finished my first drink and ordered a second before the band started to play. I tapped my foot in time with the music. It was really pretty good.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

I looked up to see a young woman, largely built but not fat, dressed in a full skirt and a peasant blouse. She sat down and smiled.

"I'm Edna Wallace, the singer. I hate to barge in on you, but I also hate to sit alone, and I don't like to break in on a party."

I hadn't realized until then that I was the only person in the place who was sitting alone.

"That's all right. I could use a little company."

"Are you married?" She looked at my left hand and I nodded. "Any children?" I shook my head.

"Not yet. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm Elise Harris."

"My friends call me Eddie. Do you come out often, Elise?"

"Never. Tonight is the first time in ages."

"I don't blame your husband a bit. If he shows you off too much he just might lose you." She laughed lightly.

"Oh no, it isn't that. He's been overseas for eighteen months. And I just got tired of staying home."

Just then the piano player called Eddie to the stand. She rose and smiled at me, saying, "Don't go away, Elise. I'll be finished in about ten minutes. Let me buy you a drink."

I nodded, glad for an excuse to stay for a while.

When she'd been talking her voice sounded husky, almost masculine. But when she sang it became deep and rich. She sang mostly blues, and her voice was full of tears for the man in her song that had left her alone to cry herself to sleep at night.

I joined sincerely in the loud applause and the requests for just one more number. Eddie thanked her appreciative audience and sang another song. Then she bowed her way off the tiny stage and came back to my table.

"You really have a nice voice, Eddie."

"Thank you, dear. Now let's have that drink."

We had that one and several more, during intermissions and while the band was playing instrumental numbers. Before I realized it, it was nearly midnight.

"Gee, I've got to go. I didn't know it was so Late."

"I've enjoyed talking with you, Elise. Why don't you stay and I'll drive you home."

"Thanks, Eddie, but I'd better go on. Tomorrow's my laundry day, and if I know Mother at all, she'll be knocking on my door at nine sharp. She's never been late." We laughed.

"I'd sure like to meet her," Eddie said. "I'll bet she even looks like an alarm clock."

"Did I make her sound that bad? She's really very nice. But she makes me so damn mad I could scream. Anyway, I think I'd better get home."

"Are you coming down tomorrow night?"

"I doubt it, Eddie. I'm pretty broke. Truthfully, I should have stayed home tonight."

We were walking toward the door and finally we were outside.

"Well look, then. Would it be all right if I phone you sometime next week? I get pretty lonesome too. We move around a lot, and I never make any real friends. I think you're pretty nice people." She took my hand and squeezed it lightly. I was both touched and excited at the thought of having a friend, even for only a few weeks.

"Sure, Eddie. Call me any time. The number is 4-7477."

"Okay, kid. Maybe we can take in a show or something, just to kill a little time."

A cab was cruising by, and she hailed it for me. I gave the driver my address and settled back as she waved to me.

"See you next week," she called.

I nodded and smiled.

* * *

"Good morning, Elise. I trust you had a nice time last night." Mother Harris stood in the door as I rubbed my eyes sleepily.

"Yes I did, Mother. A very nice time."

"Did you see a good movie?" she inquired as she walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"I didn't go to the movies. I'd already seen them all."

"Well, then, what did you do on your different night?"

"Oh, not too much." I sat down in a chair and lit a cigarette. "First I went to the store and bought a nice big steak. Then I cooked it and ate dinner alone while I listened to some soft music on the radio."

"Not much of an evening, was it?" The anger and irritation she was trying to hide had begun to show.

"That's only the first part of the evening," I told her. "At precisely eight-thirty I stepped into the Arcadia Lounge. I had ten or fifteen drinks, got drunk as a skunk, staggered out at about midnight and came home. And the whole evening was wasted. Not a single wolf made a pass at me. I had to come home alone." She recoiled as I spat the words out.

Her eyebrows shot upwards, almost to her hairline, and her mouth was pinched into a tight line. Her cheeks turned bright red and she breathed so fast and loud she sounded like the hiss of a locomotive. "What? What did you say?"

"That's right, Mother. I couldn't pick up anything but the whisky glass."

She rose quickly and walked to the door.

"What do you suppose Ty will think of this?" she flung.

I could almost see smoke coming out of her nostrils. "What do you suppose he'll say when he hears of your behaviour?"

"Come off it, Mother." I waved toward the couch. "What can he say? I've been the perfect wife. Just because I went into a tavern last night and had a few drinks doesn't make me an alcoholic or a tramp."

"And does it give you the right to talk the way you have to me? Does it?"

"Don't get hysterical. It's just that I'm tired of never having a minute to be just myself. I've always got to be Ty's wife. You never let me think for myself. Everything I do, every breath I take, is planned in advance by you. I'd like a chance to do some things that I enjoy doing. Not just go on living in the paper and paste world that you've made my life."

"That's a pretty speech. Very nice. What you really mean is that you're tired of being a nice decent young lady. You want to run around, maybe even run off with another man like your mother did."

"You leave my mother out of this. All I want is the freedom that everyone else has. Being your son's wife doesn't make me an inmate in an institution, does it?"

"You're my daughter-in-law, Elise. And I promised Ty that I'd look after you while he's gone. I've tried. But if you don't want my help, I won't bother you again."

"I'm sorry, Mother. Really." I walked over to the door and put my arm around her shoulders. "I just need a change. Can you understand that?" Then I dropped my arm. "Can you understand what it's doing to me, every day exactly like the one before?"

"I understand, Elise. First Ty. Now you. Before long, even Papa won't need me."

She walked out of the apartment and closed the door softly. I waited a few moments, then looked outside. As I expected, she was standing at the end of the hall, waiting to see if I would come after her. I closed the door again and turned the key. Then I went back to bed.

CHAPTER TWO

Mother Harris didn't call me and I stubbornly refused to call her, and that same stubbornness kept me from going to church with her on Sunday morning. I slept late, and when I finally woke up around noon, it was already so hot that I didn't feel like eating anything. I dressed and walked to the drugstore to get a magazine to read.

"Well, hello there!" I greeted Eddie when she walked over to the magazine rack. "I was just thinking about you."

"Thanks, Elise. Then you won't mind my telling you that running into you was no accident. I was on my way to your place."

"Really? How'd you get the address?"

"The phone book. I checked the Harris listings until I found your number. Come on and have a coke with me."

We walked over to the counter and she ordered two.

"I thought if you didn't have anything planned, we might take in a show," she said. "I'm so tired of being alone I could scream."

"Well, ordinarily I'd be busy. No, that's not the word. 'Occupied' is what I meant. But my mother-in-law isn't speaking to me because I went out Friday night. So I haven't a thing to do, unless I buy that book."

"Forget the book. Let's go to a show, and have something to eat. Then you can come down to the Lounge with me. That ought to fill up the day pretty well for both of us."

"Sounds wonderful, Eddie. Only I'll have to refuse.

I'm almost flat broke. And I've got to eat until next week."

"Forget the money. I haven't a darn thing to do with mine except spend it. You can treat next week if you feel guilty about it. Fair enough?"

"Okay. Only you have to promise. Next week I treat."

We finished the drinks and she led me outside to a sleek new convertible. I whistled softly. Eddie laughed as she opened the door.

"I told you I had nothing to do with it but spend it."

"Is this really yours?" She nodded and smiled as my big eyes got bigger. "You must make a lot of money."

"Not really. Just that I don't have anybody to spend it on but myself. And there isn't much that I want to buy."

The movie was second rate, but the comments that Eddie made on it kept me laughing. Dinner was especially good. It should have been though. Eddie took me to one of the nicest restaurants in town. Afterwards she dropped me at home to change clothes, while she went home to do the same. In less than an hour she picked me up again and took me to the Lounge.

The drinks were much stronger than I'd remembered them. By one o'clock in the morning I was pretty giggly. Eddie led me to the car and helped me in.

"You hungry, honey? Let's get some sandwiches."

I nodded and giggled.

We went to a drive-in restaurant. By the time I'd eaten a couple of hamburgers and drunk some coffee, I felt better. Eddie watched me intently as I smoked a cigarette.

"Did you enjoy yourself as much as I did today, Elise?"

"I can't remember when I've had so much fun, Eddie. I feel like someone else. Like anyone but Elise Harris."

"Then how about tomorrow? Let's go swimming."

"I don't know how to swim."

"I'll teach you. Come on. Say yes."

"Okay. I'll have to get a swim suit though. I don't have one."

"I have one that's size twelve, if you don't mind using it."

"That's just my size. I'll accept your offer. And thank you."

"I should thank you, honey, just for letting me enjoy being with you." She smiled and started the car.

After the car hop had taken the tray, she drove me home. When she stopped in front of my house, she took my hand in hers and squeezed it lightly.

"You're sweet, Elise." Her eyes were smiling and she gazed into my own eyes until I lowered them. "I'll pick you up about one. Okay?"

"That will be fine, Eddie. Don't forget the suit."

I got out of the car and she waited until I'd gone inside before she drove away.

* * *

"How did you ever find this place, Eddie?" I asked as I looked at the tiny lake of water and the woods surrounding it. "I've lived here a long time and I didn't dream there were any swimming holes this close to Bartstown."

"I asked Pat, the boss' wife, if there was a place around here where I could learn to swim in privacy, and she told me how to get here." She looked around and nodded approval. "It is nice, isn't it?"

"It sure is. And we can change right here in the car."

"I've got my suit on. Here's yours." She handed me a sack. "I'll spread the blanket over there after I pull off my dress."

She threw the dress into the back seat and carried the blanket over to a small patch of grass near the edge of the water.

I opened the sack and pulled out a light blue two piece suit. It looked new, and when I examined it I saw a tag that was hidden inside, fastened to a seam. I undressed and put the suit on, then stepped out of the car. When I walked over to Eddie, her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"It looks much better on you than it did on me, Elise."

"Eddie, this suit is brand new. You just bought it."

"I've had it for--"

"No you haven't. You left one of the tags in it." I showed it to her, and she lowered her eyes for a second.

"You're not mad, are you Elise? I just did it because I knew you wouldn't come if you couldn't borrow one. And you didn't have the money to buy one for yourself. It cost six dollars, and you can pay me back when you get it."

I smiled but I shook my head as I spoke.

"I'll never be able to repay you if you don't stop, Eddie. You really shouldn't do all of these things."

"I like you, Elise. I enjoy being with you, and it's worth twice what I've spent just to see you having fun. Don't be angry."

"I'm not, silly. But you do too much for me. You'll have me spoiled." I took her hand and led her toward the water, but when we reached the edge, I stopped. She urged me on.

Carefully, I put in first one foot, then the other. Eddie pulled my hand and I took a few more steps, until I was up to my waist in the water. I followed Eddie's instructions, and in a short while I had learned to float. Then I decided to rest a while. I got out of the water and dried off a little, and sat on the blanket to watch Eddie swim. She was very good, and seeing her skill made me feel a little better. She'd be a good teacher, and I didn't need to worry about drowning.

We splashed about and Eddie helped me. By the time we were ready to leave I could actually swim a little.

Eddie went to the cat to get our clothes while I dried my hair. I'd already pulled off the swimsuit and was rubbing myself dry with the big towel when Eddie returned with the clothes. She watched as I stepped into my underclothes, and when she helped me with the zipper in my dress, her hands shook.

"Are you cold, Eddie? You'd better get dressed."

She got out of her suit and dried off, then hurried to get into her clothes.

We gathered up the blanket and towels and wet suits and put them into the car. Then Eddie took me home. When she let me out of the car, she forced a smile to her lips.

"I'll be busy with rehearsals tomorrow, but I'll call you on Wednesday." I nodded and went into the house.

* * *

"Damn you! Damn you!" I screamed at the telephone as I stumbled toward it in the dark. "Hello."

"Hey, hold it. I didn't get you up, did I?"

"Who the hell is this?" I growled as I picked up the clock and saw that it was three-ten--A.M. apparently, since it was pitch dark in the room.

"It's Eddie. I'm sorry if I woke you, kid. I'll call you tomorrow, if it will be better."

"No," Eddie. It's okay. I'm awake now. What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I just got lonesome, so I decided not to wait until Wednesday to call."

"But it is Wednesday. Has been for three hours and ten minutes now."

"Okay, okay. Go back to bed. I'll call this afternoon."

"No you won't. You got me up for a reason. Now out with it. What did you call for?"

"Nothing. Like I said, I got lonesome. Thought you might like to have a drink with me or something."

"Eddie, I ought to murder you. Come on over."

"I'll be there in five minutes."

The line went dead and I placed the receiver in its cradle and stumbled back toward the bed to get my robe and slippers. I'd just reached the living room when she knocked on the door. I stumbled across the room to the light switch. Then I let Eddie into the apartment.

She looked around and nodded approvingly. "This is a nice little place you have, Elise. It's clean and comfortable."

"And lonely. I'm glad you called."

"I'm glad you're glad. I was afraid you might not like it."

"I don't mind. You've been so nice to me."

"I hope you like gin. It's my favorite drink."

"I don't really know. I'm not a heavy drinker. In fact, since I met you, I've drunk more than I have in two years drinking put together. And then it was on my wedding day."

"Show me where the ice is and I'll fix us something that's cool, refreshing, and relaxing. It's also dynamite."

I laughed with her as I led her through the bedroom to the kitchen.

She worked efficiently as she fixed the drinks, and in just a few minutes she was finished. Tonight she was wearing a pair of tailored slacks and a white shirt blouse. She had on no makeup except a tiny bit of lipstick. She was wearing no jewelry, and her shoes were brown loafers. We carried the glasses into the living room and sat down on opposite ends of the couch.

"It was silly of me to wake you. And selfish I guess."

"Selfish?" I took a long drink from my glass and almost choked. Eddie jumped up to pat me on the back.

"Take it easy, kid. That isn't coffee you're drinking now."

"I know," I gasped. I took another drink and it went down much easier than the first one had.

"You learn fast. Be careful, though. You could get pretty drunk on just a couple of these."

Her glass was still almost full. As she sipped it slowly, she told me a little about herself. She'd been a singer for most of her life, and she'd been married three times.

"I just wasn't made to be a wife. Or else I looked in the wrong places for a husband. Anyway, I doubt if I'll ever get married again."

"I can understand why you're lonely."

I finished my drink and Eddie took my empty glass and went into the kitchen to refill it. By the time she'd returned, I had taken off my robe and was sitting on the couch with just my shorty pajamas on. She had an odd look on her face when she handed me the glass.

"You don't mind, do you, Eddie? It's so darn hot in here."

"It's not the heat, it's the alcohol." She laughed, a little nervously I thought.

"I'll put it back on." I reached for the robe and she grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Don't. You look so comfortable." She lit a cigarette and handed it to me. "Tell me about your husband. What's he like?"

I rose and walked over to a small table by the window and picked up the frame that held Ty's picture. As I returned, I was conscious of Eddie's eyes watching me. I handed her the photograph. Ty, with his dark curly hair, his deep blue eyes, and his heart-warming boyish grin, smiled at her.

"He's very nice looking, Elise. A good catch."

"As far as looks go. But that's all he's good for." I took a good long drink of the cold liquid that Eddie had mixed for me. "He's a spoiled brat, Eddie. A mama's boy. Sometimes I can't stand him. I feel like I hate him."

"Shame on you. That's your husband you're talking about."

"Husband?" I laughed sarcastically. "What is a husband? A guy who whines about how you mistreat him from dawn to dark? A guy that expects to be waited on constantly, like an invalid, just because his mother did it for him? Does a husband take what he needs to satisfy himself without ever trying to be sure that his wife is satisfied too?"

I guess Eddie knew I was getting pretty drunk because she reached for my glass, but I moved away and emptied it, then set the glass on the floor. I couldn't stop talking, and I began to tell Eddie things I'd never dreamed I could repeat to anyone but myself.

"Eddie, when he'd kiss me, I'd get all goose pimply. I'd want him so much I hurt inside. And then, after he'd take me, I'd wish he'd gone on to sleep and let me still want him. At least I'd have something besides disappointment, even if it was just hope that he'd changed. He never tried to satisfy me. Maybe it's just me. And maybe it's not. All I know is that he never made me feel like a woman. I've heard about the thrill you're supposed to get. Well, I've never felt it. For all I know, it could be a lie that someone thought up to deceive young wives."

I started to cry, and Eddie moved over beside me and put an arm around me. I laid my head on her shoulder and cried for a few minutes. It felt so good, leaning against her warm body. She stroked my hair gently. "Don't cry, honey. Don't cry."

Her hand moved slowly and steadily down my back until it reached and encircled my waist. I stopped crying and looked up at her. The minute I raised my head, her lips pressed down on mine, lightly at first, then hard and demanding. I started to push her away, but the feeling it gave me when her hot tongue began twisting its way into my mouth made me put my arms around her neck. She trailed kisses across my cheek.

"Elise. Elise, honey. You weren't made for a man's love. You were made for my kind of love. Tell me. Tell me you were made for this."

Her arm tightened around my waist and her free hand slipped down to tug at the elastic in the leg of my pajama bottoms. She slipped her hand inside and began to work her fingers around. She kissed me again.

I moaned as her hot tongue and her fingers worked together.

I raised my hips off the couch, and Eddie was quick to slip the pajamas down over my thighs and off. She took the top off too, and began kissing my breasts. She massaged them, then my stomach; and she ran her finger tips over my bare legs. Then she began biting me. The gentleness of her fingers, the smoothness of her lips and the little biting sensations thrilled me.

Then her lips were moving down: across my stomach, down my thigh, up the inside of my leg. Her lips built fires in me until I called her name. "Eddie, darling. Please!" I moaned as I wound my fingers into her shoulder length hair and pulled her face to my body.

She worked gently, until I thought I would scream. I twisted and moaned as the world spinned around me. And at last she released me into a world such as I had never known. I floated on a cloud of passion until the cloud exploded and sent me flying into a sea of stars and warmth... and love.

I felt myself being lifted and carried into the bedroom. She laid me gently on the bed and pulled the sheet over me. Only half conscious, I was vaguely aware of her naked body slipping into bed beside me and pulling me into her arms. I snuggled closer, and she held me close to her as I went peacefully to sleep.

* * *

Eddie shook me and called my name. "Elise. Elise, wake up. Are you going to sleep all day?"

I opened my eyes slowly and took a deep breath. The aroma of fresh coffee reached my nostrils and I sat up in the bed. Realizing that I was naked, I pulled the sheet up over my bare breasts. Eddie smiled weakly, then looked at me steadily.

"I'm sorry about last night, Elise. I tried to leave you alone, but just thinking about you made me want you even more."

I blushed a little as I thought about the night before. But I'd enjoyed it, and the memory of it made my skin tingle. Eddie stood beside the bed and looked at me for a minute. Then she smiled again, but her eyes were sad.

"I won't bother you again, Elise. I've made you some coffee. It's on the stove."

She turned and started out of the room. I jumped out of the bed, ignoring my own nakedness and ran to her. Throwing myself into her arms, I pressed my body to hers.

"Eddie, don't go. Please stay with me for a while."

Her hands caressed my naked hips while she kissed me. Then she picked me up and carried me back to the bed. As she undressed, I stretched lazily. Then she was laying beside me, holding me in her arms.

"I love you, Elise," she whispered in my ear.

Her mouth covered mine and once again I knew the thrill of her kiss. Her fingers worked as gently as before, and soon I was in the very heights of passion. I tossed about as I moaned and called her name. Her mouth moved down my body and I held my breath as I waited. Very soon she released me from the tormenting desire that had held me from the first kiss.

Afterward I lay in her arms and we talked of things that only lovers talk about. I was content just to lie there, but Eddie insisted we get up.

"I have a few things I want to get done," she explained. "I've got to go shopping, and you can get your housework done while I'm gone."

So, after we'd cleaned up a bit and had our coffee, I unwillingly let her go. But only after a long kiss, and after she'd promised to hurry back. Then I went about the apartment picking up misplaced items, making the bed, and dusting. I was just getting ready to have another cup of coffee and a cigarette when the telephone rang. "Hello."

"Hello, Elise. How have you been?"

"Papa! How nice of you to call." Papa never used the telephone unless he had to.

"We've missed you, Elise. You haven't been over for almost a week."

"I know, Papa, but I told Mother I needed a change. She's been angry ever since, so I decided not to come over for a while."

"But, Elise. You shouldn't stay alone so much. Don't you get lonely for someone to talk to?"

"I took your advice, Papa. About going out, I mean. I had a very nice time. And I've found a friend." Maybe if he knew I wasn't alone all the time he wouldn't worry. He was such a really wonderful man.

"A friend? What kind of friend did you find in a tavern?"

"Now Papa. You sound just like Mother. Edna is a very nice girl. She's a singer, and she was lonely too. We got to talking and liked each other. So while she's here in Bartstown we can keep each other company."

"That's nice. But are you sure it's all right, honey? I mean, some of these women entertainers are bad company."

"She isn't a prostitute, Papa. In fact, she almost never goes out with a man. She's been married and divorced, and she's afraid to trust men."

"Does she know you're married, Elise?"

"I told her about Ty. And she isn't going to try to get me to go out with other men. All she wants is a friend to spend her time with while she's working here."

"Well, honey, I'm glad you've got a friend. You know, you were getting to be pretty dull company, sitting around in this tomb with us old fossils all the time." He chuckled. "Come over soon and see us, though. And bring your friend, too. What did you say her name was?"

"Edna. Edna Wallace. And we'll be over some time this week or this weekend. How's that?"

"Fine, Elise. Just fine. I'll let you go now. I hear Mama coming down the stairs. Bye-bye."

I hung up the phone and went into the kitchen to heat the coffee. I poured a cup and sat down to drink it. I was quite pleased with the effect of what I'd told Papa. He would be sure to tell Mother Harris, and maybe she would realize that she'd been wrong to try to run my life. Now maybe she would leave me to myself for a while. A light knock on the door roused me from my thoughts and I hurried to open it.

"Grab a couple of these sacks. Quick!" I took some of the parcels from Eddie's arms and carried them to the couch. Then, while she put the rest of the bags on the couch, I went back to close the door.

"What did you do, spend your life savings?"

She laughed at me as she began to open the packages and handed me the contents.

"I told you I had a little shopping to do," she said.

I carried the steak and vegetables to the kitchen, along with a bouquet of pink and white carnations. After putting away the food and arranging the flowers in a vase, I returned to the living room for the bottle of gin and the soda that Eddie had bought. These things were placed in the refrigerator also, and once more I returned to the living room. Eddie handed me a box.

I opened it and pulled out a white nylon blouse with lots of lace. In the bottom of the box was a red and white print skirt. I held them up to me, then I laid them on the couch and kneeled in front of Eddie. Slipping my arms around her waist, I buried my face in her lap. She stroked my hair, then lifted my face to hers for a lingering kiss.

"Thank you, Eddie. Thank you so much."

"Thank you, darling. Just for being so sweet." Her eyes filled with tears as she spoke. "Try them on. I hope I got the right sizes."

I carried the clothes into the bedroom and put them on. Then I went back into the living room to show her. She smiled warmly, indicating that she was as pleased with how I looked as I had been. Then she handed me a small sack.

"Now go try this on while I clean up this mess."

I took the sack that she held out to me and went back into the bedroom. I took off the skirt and blouse and hung them up before I looked into the sack. When I finally opened it I squealed with delight. I pulled out a pale blue negligee. It was soft and filmy, almost as thin as a curtain.

I took off the rest of my clothes and with just the negligee and my house slippers on, I went back into the living room. Eddie was sitting on the couch with a drink in her hand. A drink for me was on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"It's perfect for you, Elise."

Her eyes were on me as I walked across the room to her. She set her glass on the coffee table beside mine and held her arms out to me. I went into them most anxiously.

"Eddie, darling. You shouldn't have done this. But thank you very much."

She murmured something as she kissed me. Then she pushed me away gently, and handed me the drink she had fixed. I sipped it slowly. She turned on the radio and found some soft music, then took my hand and led me into the tiny space between the coffee table and a chair. Slipping her arm around me, she held me tightly to her while we danced. Several times she kissed me as she whispered that she loved me. When the song ended, she led me back to the couch.

"I don't want that, I want you." I set the glass she'd handed me back on the table. "Kiss me, Eddie."

She took me into her arms and pressed her lips on mine. I slipped my hand between our bodies and unfastened the negligee. "I'm sorry, Eddie darling. But I can't help wanting you so much. I love you. And I love what you do to me. Please love me again. Please."

She didn't answer. She just smiled and buried her face between my breasts. The ice in the glasses melted as Eddie led me to paradise with her lips and love.

CHAPTER THREE

The next four days were so completely different from my old life that I began to change with it. Just as the warmth of spring thaws the ice and snow, and the shoots of grass spring up from under the bare ground to fill the world with beauty, so did I thaw in the love Eddie gave me. My eyes shone, and my cheeks became bright and rosy.

If Mother Harris called me during those days, I was either gone away or asleep. Because all of my waking hours were spent with Eddie at the movies, on picnics, or just riding and enjoying the summer days, as though I had never before seen a summer. The three evenings that Eddie worked at the Lounge I spent at the Lounge with her. And after she was finished for the night she would go home with me. She never did stay all night, after the first time, in spite of my pleas. But she was always there to wake me around noon.

On Tuesday I was awakened about eleven o'clock by a loud banging on my door. I pulled on the negligee that Eddie had given me and went to see who was there.

"Oh. Hello, Mother," I said, stepping back, trying to hide my surprise. "Come in."

Mother came into the room and I closed the door. She went directly to the sofa and sat down.

"We expected you for dinner on Sunday," she said. "I called you, but you didn't answer the telephone."

"I'm sorry, Mother. I was probably asleep."

"I came over soon after I called. You didn't answer my knock."

"Then I must have been gone. I believe I went to the movies with Eddie on Sunday."

"Eddie? Who is Eddie?" She frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"Eddie is Edna Wallace. I told Papa about her."

"Oh yes. An entertainer, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's a singer." There was a light knock on the door. "Come on in. It's open," I called. Eddie pushed the door open and stepped into the room. The surprise in her eyes vanished almost as soon as it had appeared. She walked over to the chair nearest the door and placed the sack she was carrying on it.

"I didn't know you had company, Elise. I can come back later."

"No, it's all right, Eddie. We were just talking about you. I'd like for you to meet my mother-in-law."

Eddie walked over to the couch and held out her hand. "Mrs. Harris, I'm Edna Wallace."

"How do you do, Miss Wallace."

"Mrs. Wallace," Eddie corrected, ignoring Mother's cold voice. "Elise has told me a lot about you, and I've been most anxious to meet you. And Mr. Harris."

"We expected Elise for dinner on Sunday. She'd told my husband that she would bring you over."

"That was my fault, and I'm sorry. I'd already made plans for the afternoon without asking Elise. And I talked her into going with me."

"Do you always plan Elise's time for her?"

"Mother! You're prying."

"Not at all, Elise. I was merely trying to find out if you've found someone to do for you the very thing you resented in me."

"As a matter of fact, Mrs. Harris, I do plan most of the things Elise and I do together. There are so many things she's never had the opportunity to enjoy."

"What, for instance? Drinking? Running around all the time?"

"Those things, yes. And others as well. By running around, I assume you mean in taverns. She goes to the one where I work. But she's done other things. Things that are good for her. Did you know that she'd never been on a pair of roller skates, or that she couldn't swim? Those things are good for the body as well as the mind. Any way you look at it, she's much better off living like other young women, enjoying herself and doing the things that other people take for granted as a part of life."

"Isn't it odd, two young women spending so much time together?"

"I don't think so, Mother," I interrupted. "Of course, I could spend my free time with a young man, if you think that would be any better for me."

"Elise," mother said icily, "ever since you met this young woman, you've been very saucy. I intend to find out what she's been doing to you that makes you so unpleasant."

With that she crossed the room and let herself out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

"Now you've done it, Elise. She'll be snooping a-round and before long she'll know about us."

"And if she does find out? So what? I'm not ashamed Eddie. I love you." I walked over to her and put my arms around her neck. She slipped her arms around my waist and kissed me.

"I love you too, honey. But Ty will divorce you, and the truth will come out. You know how people feel about our kind of love. You've seen how they stare at us in the Lounge."

"Eddie, I don't care. I don't give a darn about what they say. We don't have to stay here. We could leave here, go somewhere else. Find a place where people don't care what you do as long as the rent is paid on time. I'd get a job. We could do it together."

I was crying, and Eddie led me to the couch. Then she went to check the door, to be sure it was locked. She came back to me and held me in her arms.

"Elise, honey. We've been all over this thing before. I can't leave here for two more months, and then I'd have to find us a place to live. And you've never worked. You have no experience. Besides, I don't want you to work."

"But Eddie," I began to protest.

"No. Just forget it. We won't make any plans until we have to. Is that clear?"

She tipped my head back and kissed me. My arms went around her and she held me tight. Then she rose and pulled me to my feet. She led me into the bedroom, closing the door behind us as if to shut out the whole world.

* * *

The knock was more like a woodpecker tapping than a noise made by a human being. I got up from the couch and went to answer it. I knew it wasn't Eddie, because she wouldn't be finished with rehearsal before at least three o'clock, and it was only one now. I opened the door, and was more shocked than surprised to see Papa Harris. This was the first time he'd been to my apartment since Ty had gone overseas.

"May I come in, dear?" he asked softly.

"Of course, Papa." I stepped back and he entered, removing his old but clean felt hat. "Sit down."

"I can't stay long, Elise. Mama wanted to come, but this one time, I insisted that she let me talk to you. She came to see you about a week ago, didn't she?"

I nodded.

"And she met your new friend, Mrs. Wallace?" I nodded again.

"Now, Elise, first I want to tell you that I'm not going to tell you how to choose your friends, but--"

"But you don't think that Eddie is good company," I finished for him.

"I didn't say that, honey," he insisted. "Mama doesn't think that you have very good judgment."

He looked up at me with his sad, tired eyes. The thin grey hair on his head and the deep creases in his face made him look much older than the forty-eight years he admitted.

"What do you think, Papa?"

"I don't know your friend. How can I pass judgment on a person I've never even met? And I'm not the one to judge her. That will be taken care of later."

"Later? What does that mean?"

"Mama has been asking questions. She went to the fellow who owns the place where your singer works. She came away from there with a big smile on her lips and determination in her mind. She cabled Tyson this morning."

"Why?" I didn't need to ask that, because I knew what he was going to answer.

"Because your friend is a--a lesbian. And because she thinks this woman is your lover. She asked Tyson to try to get a leave and come home to straighten you out."

"Papa! She didn't!"

But I knew that she had. Papa would never lie to anyone. Not unless it were terribly important and just as necessary.

"Mama wants you to give up the apartment and come home with me," Papa said.

"No. I won't do it, and she can't make me. I'm capable of making my own decisions. And I won't do it."

I sat down heavily and lit a cigarette.

"Elise, I want you to tell me the truth. I promise you it won't leave this room. But I'd like to know. Is she your lover?"

"That isn't your business, Papa."

"It is, dear. There's going to be a lot of hell raised, and I'd like to know what to expect."

"What if I said 'yes'?"

"My next question would be 'why?' "

"Your son should be able to answer that, Papa. He wouldn't, though."

"What has Tyson got to do with you having a woman for a lover?"

"I can't explain, Papa. Please don't ask me to."

I got up and walked to the window. Papa followed me timidly.

"Perhaps you don't have to, Elise. I think I know."

"No. You don't know, Papa!" I whirled around and he jumped back. "You couldn't possibly know about the nights that I'd lie awake beside him, my whole body aching, wanting him. Wanting relief from the pressure that was building up inside me. Because he either couldn't or wouldn't try to satisfy me. You couldn't know how he'd take what he called his rights as my husband, without ever realizing that I had rights too. I had as much right as he to know how good you were supposed to feel. Married love isn't supposed to be just for the man. And you aren't supposed to feel dirty and used up, with nothing to show for it except relief when he's gone to work the next day."

"And this woman, Edna. How do you feel about her?"

"When Eddie's gone, I count the minutes until she comes back. I don't think anyone has ever been so good to me. She brings me gifts. She takes me places I've never been. And she's taught me to enjoy life without begging for happiness or kindness. With her, it's more like she is my husband instead of Ty."

"I see. And you never felt that she's taking advantage of the fact that you've been--well, sexless for so long. I mean, don't you suppose that might be why you feel this need for her?"

"No, Papa. That isn't the reason. If I'd met her while Ty and I were engaged, there never would have been a wedding."

"Then come home with me. Stay away from her for awhile. If you still feel that you need her in a month or two, then go back to her."

"No. I can't. I love Eddie, and you nor anyone else can keep me from spending as much time with her as I can."

"All right, Elise. Do what you think is best." He fingered his hat nervously.

I turned my back to him, and in a few moments I heard the door close softly behind him.

My eyes were swollen when I answered the door to admit Eddie. After she'd closed the door behind her, she cradled me in her arms.

"Don't cry, honey. It will be all right. Just give it time."

She led me to the bedroom and we lay down across the bed.

"Eddie, Mother found out. Papa was here to see me."

"She knows, all right. Pat told me. She gave me my notice this afternoon. I've got two more weeks if I want to work."

"She can't do that!" I cried. "What about Jeff and the rest?"

"Jeff is going to Harper City this afternoon. We'll be working there next week, I guess."

"Eddie, take me with you. Please!"

"I don't know, honey. I just don't know. We'll have to do a lot of planning. And it might be worse there. The people, I mean."

"Eddie. I didn't tell you that Mother sent for Ty. She cabled him this morning."

Eddie sat up straight.

"Elise, are you sure?"

I nodded.

"What else has she done?"

"That's all. She was going to come over to see me herself, but Papa talked her into letting him come."

"Elise, honey. Tell me everything he said."

"He was very nice, Eddie. He asked about you, what you were like." Then I explained our entire conversation. "Maybe he's right, honey. Maybe it was just because you were starved for sex, and I was your first opportunity."

"No, Eddie, that wasn't it. Ty never made me feel the way you do. He never did."

"Did you tell him, honey? Did you ever talk to him about how you felt?" I shook my head. "You should have. Maybe he would have tried harder."

"Eddie, you don't know him. He would have gone to his mother, and all I would've gotten would've been a lecture from her."

"Elise. Don't cry." She cradled me as I sobbed, my body convulsing. "Don't cry. We'll think of something."

Before long, Eddie had dried my tears and was making love to me. She was, as always, gentle and expert. No wonder I loved her so. No wonder I couldn't give her up. Not for Mother, not for Papa; and most certainly not for my husband.

The next week was filled with hell. There were pleading calls from Papa. Mother's calls were wild with threats. Finally I removed the receiver from the cradle, and for a while there was peace.

Then the knocking began. I could tell when it was Papa. And when Mother came, the knock changed from a loud peck to a very loud bang. I guessed that she was kicking it. And none too gently.

The next week I gave up trying to stay at home. I stayed with Eddie during the day and late into the night. She drove me home, and I would set my alarm for six o'clock. By six-fifteen Eddie was there to take me to her room to spend the next day with her.

On Saturday of that week, I awakened and reached for the clock. Squinting at it I realized that it was only four o'clock. I had turned off the alarm, but the ringing persisted. It was the telephone, which I had been leaving intact since Mother had reported it out of order and the company had sent a repairman.

I groped my way to it and lifted the receiver. "Hello."

"Hello, darling. Did I wake you, sweetie?"

"Hello. Who is this?"

"Why, sweetheart! I'm surprised at you. Don't you remember who you were sleeping with before you found yourself a freak?"

I slammed the receiver down. Once I'd wakened completely, even the cloth or whatever he'd used to muffle his voice couldn't fool me. It was Ty.

I dialed the number of the Arcadia. It rang several times, but there was no answer. I didn't realize until I looked at the clock again that they'd been closed for some time. And Eddie had no telephone. I laid the receiver on the dresser, then dressed myself quickly. I pushed the couch in front of the door and sat down. I must have smoked a package of cigarettes before I heard the familiar honk of the horn in Eddie's car. I dragged the couch out of the way and ran outside to the car.

"Eddie! He's home. He called me!" I gasped, as soon as I was inside the car.

"Slow down, honey. Who's here? Ty?" I nodded. "What did he say?"

I began to cry. "I didn't talk to him. I hung up on him. Eddie, he called you a freak." I felt her arm tighten around my shoulders.

"Take it easy, Elise. We'll talk in a minute." She pulled over to the curb and parked. "Now. Tell me again. Slowly."

"Ty called me about four. He tried to muffle his voice. When I asked who was calling, he asked me if I'd forgotten who I was sleeping with before I found a freak. I hung up."

"Is that all? I mean is that all that was said?"

"Yes, Eddie. That's all. Isn't it enough?"

"You smoke too much, dear." She removed the unlit cigarette from between my lips and took the cigarette lighter she'd given me and dropped them into the pocket of her blouse. "Now will you please stop worrying? Tomorrow is our last night here. We leave Monday afternoon for Harper City."

"I can go, can't I, Eddie?" I begged.

"I'll have to go Monday. You can't go with me, because we have nowhere to stay. But as soon as I get a place, I'll send for you. It shouldn't be too long."

"How long, Eddie? How long?"

"About a week. No more. And Jeff told the new boss about me. About us. He's a real nice guy."

"Will you call me?"

"I don't think I should, honey. I think a letter would be much better, don't you?"

"But Ty is bound to come to the apartment. He'll get it."

"I'll send it to the place where I stay. The landlady will hold it for you. I'll address it to myself. Just give me a picture of you so that she'll know you're the one who is to pick up my mail for me."

I handed her a small snapshot from my billfold. She examined it and nodded approvingly, then slipped it into her purse.

"Now. Let's go home," she said.

She kissed me and I returned the kiss eagerly. The fire in me burned so intensely that if she'd have let me have my way, we'd have made love right there. The fact that it was almost daylight made little or no difference to me.

"Eddie," I whispered. "Eddie, take me home with you now. I need you. I love you so much."

"And I love you, my dearest."

She kissed me again, then started the car and drove to her place.

It was about two o'clock when I heard the door slam.

I knew it wasn't Eddie. She'd told me she wouldn't be able to see me again before she left. And she didn't have a key to my apartment.

I set the coffee cup that I was holding on the table and walked through the bedroom into the living room. I stared through rather than at my husband. Behind him stood Eddie.

"Hello, sweetheart," he said, "haven't you got a kiss for your husband?"

I ignored his exaggerated sweetness and watched Eddie. Her hair was mussed and there was a smudge of dirt on her face. Then I looked at Ty. If Eddie's appearance could be described as mussed, then his would best be called beat up. His uniform was wrinkled and dirty, and there was blood drying on his chin. His hair looked as though it had gone uncombed for weeks.

"I brought him home, Elise. He had a few too many at the joint, and had a little disagreement with Jeff and the boys."

I pleaded with my eyes for Eddie to stay, but she was already going back out the door. I took a step toward her, but Ty stopped me.

"Seems like your friend is pretty friendly with the guys she works with too. They love her. Or is she a him?"

"You stinking, filthy bastard! You ought to be castrated!"

I slapped at him, but his hand caught my wrist. He twisted my arm behind my back and forced me to walk toward the bedroom. I cried out with pain as he pushed me across the bed. He tore at my clothes until they were nothing but shreds. Then he threw off his own clothes, mumbling drunkenly to himself.

"I'll show you. I'll show you, you little bitch. You are gonna know how it feels to be had by a man. So I never satisfied you. Well I will tonight. I'll satisfy you, or kill you trying!"

He threatened and ranted insanely as he forced me to submit to his drunken love making. I cried with pain as he ravished my body.

It seemed hours later when he finally rolled away from me and slept. Quietly I crept from the bed and went into the bathroom to bathe my bruised body. I ached all over, but I managed to get cleaned up and dressed without waking him. I called for a cab and slipped outside to wait for it.

When I reached Eddie's house, her car was gone. My loud knocking woke the man in the room next to hers. He came to the door and glared at me sleepily: "That freak left about twenty minutes ago," he announced loudly.

I took the cab back to my apartment and let myself in as quietly as possible. Ty was still sleeping. I could hear his loud snoring. I threw myself down on the couch and cried. Surely Eddie had known I would be there at her room just as soon as I could get away. Maybe I shouldn't have told her that I was going to come in spite of her telling me not to. Finally I fell asleep.

I was awakened abruptly by a gentle hand on my shoulder. I sat up quickly. "Eddie! I knew--"

"I'm sorry about this morning, 'Lise. I was drunk."

I pulled away from Ty's touch. But he sat down beside me and placed his arm around my shoulders.

"I said I was sorry, honey. I wouldn't have done or said those things for the world."

"And I suppose you were drunk when you called the other night?"

"I was mad. Dad told me what you said when he talked to you. I guess I went a little crazy. I was jealous. I just couldn't stand the thought of a woman making love to you. If it had been a man, I guess it wouldn't have been so bad. But a woman! A freak."

I jumped up from the couch and glared at him.

"A freak!" I shrieked at him. "You have the nerve to call her a freak. And you're nothing more than that. You're an immature brat who still doesn't know the difference between love and sex. Well, Ty, you can have this to think about. I love Eddie. I enjoyed every minute that I spent with her. Does that make me a freak too? If I am, just remember that you were stupid enough to marry me. That would make you something of a freak, wouldn't it?"

I stopped screaming when he slapped me.

"All right!" he shouted. "So you had fun. There's no harm done. At least I don't have to wonder if you're pregnant. Now you can settle down to being a wife again. And stop all this silly nonsense."

"Maybe you didn't hear me, Ty. I love Eddie. And it doesn't matter how long you force me to stay married to you, you can't change that. I love her! And I'll find a way to go to her."

I walked past him and went through the bedroom into the kitchen to fix myself some breakfast. He followed me and stood in the doorway, his hands on his naked hips. The sight of him undressed made me ashamed, and I blushed a little. He leered at me as he walked toward me slowly. Putting his arms around me, he held me close to him. He pressed his lips on mine and his hands wandered over my tense body.

"Let's do it right this time, 'Lise."

I didn't try to fight him. It wouldn't have done any good. And besides, it wouldn't be very long before I'd get the letter from Eddie. When he led me back into the bedroom, I followed as meekly as a child who knows he is going to get punished for some misdeed.

"'Lise, honey. Please let me try. I love you."

I waited for the passion and desire to rise in me as he kissed and caressed my naked body. It didn't come. Then I waited for the wonderful torment and the release from the white hot chains, but there was nothing. Nothing but a desire in my mind for Eddie. I gave my body, but my mind wandered to Eddie. Why had she left so suddenly?

CHAPTER FOUR

"Now isn't this better, honey?" Ty asked as he pulled me into his arms.

He had just changed the channel on the portable television set he'd bought me. This he'd done to show that he wasn't angry at me for being naughty while he'd been gone.

"Yes, Ty."

He laughed softly. "That's my pretty little wife. I knew you'd be okay once your real lover was home."

I laughed inside. My real lover was miles away, mailing the letter that I would pick up tomorrow. Then I would go to her. Ty pulled me closer to him. Afraid that he would insist on making love to me, I pulled away.

"What's the matter, 'Lise. Don't you feel good?"

"It's nothing, Ty. I'm just hot, that's all."

"Well, when you're like that, you don't pull away." He chuckled to himself. "You snuggle up to me. Then in a few minutes, I'll take care of it for you."

"I meant that it's hot in here. We should have a fan."

"Oh." The telephone rang, and Ty rose to answer it. I followed him into the bedroom. "You go on back and relax, honey. I'll answer it. It's probably just Mom."

"I want to get something cooler to put on," I said. And I went to the dresser and pulled out some shorts. Ty picked up the phone.

"Hello." He paused, then smiled. "Oh, hello Mom. We were just talking about you." Another pause. "No, I don't believe so. We were just going to watch T.V. for a while, then go to bed." He laughed softly and looked at me. "Of course she does. Where else would a wife sleep?"

"Bitch," I muttered as I pulled off my slip.

"What's that again, Mom?" Ty spoke into the receiver as he moved his eyes from me. "Why sure, if you'd like to. I'll tell 'Lise. I'm sure she can throw something together." He said something else to her that I didn't catch before he hung up. Then to me, "Better put your clothes back on. Mom and Dad are coming over for a late snack. Their television's on the blink, and Dad wanted to see the late movie on Channel One."

"I'll just bet he does," I mumbled as I went toward the kitchen, dressed now in my shorts and halter.

"Honey, you ought to put some clothes on. You know how old-fashioned Mom is about things."

"I know all about your mother," I replied. I began fixing sandwiches, ignoring the part about my clothes.

"Elise, did you hear me?"

"I did."

"Then put a dress on."

"Ty." I spoke calmly and patiently, surprising myself, for I felt just the opposite. "You may let your mother tell you when to change your shorts and how often you need clean socks, but she is not going to come into my house and tell me when to use the bathroom. I feel like wearing shorts and I'll be damned if I'll put on a dress. I didn't invite her and she doesn't have to come."

"If that's the kind of mood you're in, I'd better call her back and tell her not to come. It won't be quite a lie if I say you don't feel like company."

I shrugged my shoulders and went on fixing sandwiches, while Ty went into the bedroom. He returned in a few minutes.

"There wasn't any answer."

"Of course not. I'll bet she called from the drugstore down the block." A smile of satisfaction curved my lips as I nodded to Ty to go answer the knock on the door. "They must have run all the way so Papa wouldn't miss the show. Bet it'll be lousy."

Ty turned and went toward the living room, and a few seconds later I heard him greet his parents.

"Hello, Papa, Mother," I said cheerily, strolling into the living room to greet my in-laws. I set the glass I was holding on the coffee table and sat down. I lit a cigarette and exhaled the smoke slowly and smoothly. Just as smoothly, I asked, "How have you been for the last twenty-four hours?"

Papa squirmed uncomfortably in his chair and Mother glared at me, while Ty looked at the two of them with eyes that said he was sorry for getting them into such a mess by marrying me. I broke into a huge grin, then said as evenly as I could without laughing, "Can I get you a drink, Papa? All we've got in the house is gin." He looked as though he wanted it, but shook his head after glancing at Mother.

"No thank you, dear."

"Mother?" To this I received that icy glare of hers. "How about you, Ty?" He shook his head.

"Was the last martini too dry?" I asked.

Mother gasped, and I'm sure Ty wanted to hit me.

"Oh-oh. Guess I goofed."

I rose to go to the kitchen while Ty pretended to adjust the television.

"Ty, I swear. If you don't do something about that girl, she'll drive me crazy." Mother spoke in whispers that couldn't be heard in the kitchen. But, standing just inside the bedroom door, and off to the right side, I could hear her quite plainly.

"Look, Mom. You wanted me to come home and get rid of her girl friend. I did. And I can't complain about her. She's been good since I've been homo. She hasn't even mentioned her friend."

"How can you say that she's been good? Did you hear how she spoke to me? It's disgraceful, that's what it is."

"Mama," Papa spoke up, "maybe if you left her alone, she'd be okay."

"You keep out of this!" Mother snapped, and I could almost see poor Papa shrink into the upholstery. "If it hadn't been for your preaching, she'd have been living with us and I could've watched her. She'd have been at our house all along. But no! You had to keep saying that no house is big enough for two women to run. You just keep your big mouth shut."

"Mom! Don't get excited. 'Lise'll be okay. She just needs a little time. She was lonely, but now I'm home."

"But you won't be here forever. You have to leave in about three more weeks. Then what?"

"Leave that to me. She'll be staying with you. I'm going to get her to give up the apartment."

Their voices became even softer, and I couldn't make out what they were saying now, so I went on into the living room with the tray filled with food.

They stopped talking when I entered the room, but as soon as I went back to the kitchen to get the cold drinks, their voices grew louder and followed me as they talked about the lousy show they were watching. They didn't realize that the performance they were giving for me was even worse.

I was so relieved to see Mother get up to leave that I could have cried. Papa followed her timidly, but when he glanced back to say goodnight, I could have sworn there was a smile of sympathy in his eyes, if not on his lips.

At last the door closed behind them and Ty locked it before he followed me into the bedroom.

"Lise, don't you think you could have been a little nicer to Mom? She's trying very hard to be friends."

"She's trying too hard. I'd say it wasn't worth it," I commented dryly as I began undressing.

"But honey. She means it. And I'd like to have you two on good terms before I have to go back."

"Look, Ty. We've been through all of this before. I have no intention of getting myself into the same mess I was in before. She is not going to tell me what time to eat, when to sleep, what day I should shine my shoes. She even told me what to eat for breakfast. I will not have her writing the story of my life for me before I get a chance to live it."

"Elise, when I leave here, you're going to live with her. I told the landlord yesterday."

"I'll get a furnished room. I won't live with that narrow minded old bitch."

I didn't see him raise his hand, but I sure knew he'd slapped me. Then, my ears still ringing, he said, "I'm sorry, honey."

"You didn't hit your mother when she called me a bitch. Actually we both are. Just different kinds. But that isn't important, Ty. The real issue is, when are you going to grow up? When are you going to think for yourself? Your mother is the reason you aren't a man, mentally. And living with her isn't your idea. You let her decide, rather than think for yourself. Well let me tell you this. She isn't going to live forever. And I'll be damned if I'm going to mother you."

I crawled under the sheet and closed my eyes. Before long, Ty slipped into the bed beside me. He tried to take me in his arms, but his touch made me shiver. I pulled away from him.

"You're my wife, Elise. I've got a right to enjoy your body."

"I've got a right, too, Ty. But as far as you're concerned, only the husband has a right to anything. You wouldn't try to satisfy me, even if you knew how."

"Oh yes I would. And I will. I know what you want. And you'll get it tonight."

His whole body shook as he kissed my stomach and my thighs.

"For pete's sake, stop it, Ty."

"Isn't this what you want? Isn't it?"

My head swam dizzily and I felt sick. What had been so warm and wonderful and fulfilling with Eddie had suddenly become sickening.

"Is that how your Eddie made you feel?" he persisted. "Well let's do it again. I want you to enjoy yourself, baby."

He lowered his head again, and even though I felt sick and dirty, I could tell that it wasn't his first time. He'd had plenty of practice. At last he stopped.

"Now let's do it normal, huh?"

Without waiting for my answer, he began to take what was, as he put it so often, his rights as a husband. And I lay there, too numb, both mentally and physically, to try to stop him from satisfying his wild passion.

* * *

Ty woke only minutes before I would have been ready to leave the apartment. He raised up on one elbow and squinted at me. "Where are you slipping off to, 'Lise?"

"I'm not slipping anywhere. I was getting ready to go shopping." I gazed at him coolly.

"You never did go downtown looking like that." He looked at the plaid pedal pushers and white cotton blouse. "When did you start looking like a tramp, anyhow?"

"I said I was going shopping, I didn't say where. As a matter of fact, I hadn't planned on going downtown. It's too hot to ride the bus."

He started to climb out of the bed. "I'll go with you."

"Thanks, but I'd like to go alone. I haven't had a single minute to myself since you came home. You don't mind, do you?" I blew him a kiss and hurried out of the apartment. I didn't stop hurrying until I was several blocks from the house. Then I went into a bar and called a taxi to take me to the house where Eddie had been staying.

Inside the familiar brick house, I knocked on the apartment with the dirty brass letter 'A'. A short, fat woman smelling of beer answered.

"Mrs. Demming?"

"Yes."

"I've come to see if the letter that Mrs. Wallace asked you to hold had arrived yet."

"Yeah. It came yesterday. Just a minute." She disappeared for a few moments, and returned to hand me an envelope. I looked at it, but the writing was unfamiliar.

"Has today's mail come yet? I don't believe this is the right letter." She glanced behind her before answering.

"Today's mail won't be here for about an hour. That's all the mail she got here. How do you know it ain't the right one?"

"Well, you see, I know who the letter is from, and I would know the writing. The writing on this one isn't familiar to me at all."

"Oh. Well, you can wait if you want to. Maybe he'll come a little earlier than usual." She stepped aside and motioned for me to come in.

I went in and sat uncomfortably on the edge of the couch that was in the center of the dirty room.

"Want a beer, kid?"

I shook my head and she laughed.

"You don't drink?"

I shook my head again.

"I figured you was pretty young... " She talked endlessly and drank a half dozen cans of beer before the mailman came. When he came into the building, she jumped up and went to meet him. She came back into the room with several letters. After looking through them, she shook her head.

"Why don't you open that one and see if it ain't the one, kid?" She flipped through the envelopes once more. "There ain't none here for Mrs. Wallace."

"Maybe I should," I mumbled as I tore open the envelope. It was from Eddie's brother, according to the last line. "Well, thank you for letting me wait. I'll check again in a day or two, if you don't mind."

I rose and hurried out of the apartment, lest she see the tears that were forming in my eyes. I didn't see the mailman at the front door. I almost knocked both of us to the floor when I bumped into him.

"I'm sorry, lady," he apologized. "Does Edna Wallace live here?"

"Yes. Yes she does. I'm Mrs. Wallace."

"Here you are. Special delivery."

He handed me a thick envelope and I knew immediately that Eddie had addressed it. I smiled and followed him down the steps.

I walked to the corner and went into the little cafe where Eddie and I had gone several times for coffee. The waitress smiled as I slid into the booth. She brought me a cup of the scalding liquid. I paid her and waited until she had returned to her duties before I opened the letter. I began reading, smiling at the words that were written. It was as though Eddie were sitting beside me, whispering the things she'd written on the paper.

Then suddenly I stopped smiling and the tears welled up so that I could hardly read. Blinking back the tears, slowly and carefully I read the last page over a second and third time. Then I folded the letter and held it while I lit the corner of it with the lighter that had been a gift from Eddie. I watched as the flame burned near my fingers, then I dropped it into the ashtray and waited until it had burned itself out. I picked up the charred paper and crushed it until it looked like a small pile of soot. Without touching the coffee, I left the restaurant and began walking toward my apartment.

The words of the letter were burned into my mind. Tears streamed down my face as I remembered. I could almost hear Eddie's voice, as though she were telling me: "Forget about me, honey. Or try to. Your place is with your husband. I shouldn't have let you know that I love you, or let you love me. I'm sorry, truly sorry. I thought you were right for me, and that I would be good for you. I was wrong. I see that, now that I am away from you. If you ever need anything, write to my brother. He'll let me know. But I want you to try it my way. Be a good wife to Ty. Try to straighten things out with him, and be happy. I love you, but it will be better for you if I get out of your life forever.

"I'm not going to Harper City. I knew that before Ty came home. But I was too much of a coward to hurt you again. Goodbye my darling."

The last three words rang in my ears. I didn't realize that I was home and started past the building when Ty called me.

"Where are you going? I thought you went shopping."

"Oh. It's you. I took a little walk."

"A little walk? You've been gone almost two hours."

"I took a walk, Ty. I hope you don't mind."

I walked past him and went into the building. I unlocked the door to the apartment and went in. Ty questioned me, but I ignored his words as I undressed and got into bed.

"Good-bye my darling. Good-bye my darling," Eddie's voice seemed to be calling from far away. The words taunted me until I couldn't stand it any longer. I began to cry. Ty sat down on the side of the bed and tried to stroke my hair. I pushed his hand away and cried all the harder. At last I fell into a fitful sleep.

When I awoke, it was nearly daylight. My body was drenched with perspiration, and I remembered then that Ty had removed my clothes when he'd come to bed. I slipped out of the bed and went into the kitchen, not bothering to slip, on the housecoat that was lying on the foot of the bed.

The coffee pot was empty, so I filled it with water and put in fresh coffee. After I set it on the stove and turned on the burner under the pot, I took one of the cigarettes from the package that was lying on top of the refrigerator and lit it. I took a long drag from it and sat down at the table. In the room, dimly lit by the rising sun, I looked around slowly. There was absolutely nothing familiar in the room, even though I had lived here nearly two years. There was nothing that made me feel as though this was where I belonged. It was like being in a strange hotel.

The coffee began to perk, and the aroma drifted through the room. It reached the bedroom, and I heard the bed creak gently as Ty turned over. A few minutes later he stood in the doorway looking at me.

"Feel better, Hon?" he asked sleepily.

"I feel fine," I answered dully. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I smelled the coffee. Have you got enough for both of us?"

"Full pot," I said as I rose and began getting the cups out of the cupboard.

Ty got cream from the refrigerator and set it on the table. He waited until I had poured the steaming liquid into the cups and set the pot back on the stove before he spoke again.

"What got you up? It's good sleeping weather."

"I just couldn't sleep," I answered. "Besides, I guess I've had about sixteen hours sleep."

"Sure, but you took some of those sleeping pills, too."

"I don't remember it. How many did I take?"

"There were three or four in the bottle before you emptied it. I called a doctor, and he said not to worry about it. So I just let you sleep."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

He walked around the table to where I was sitting and put his arm around my shoulders.

"'Lise, listen to me, I love you. Can't you love me a little?"

"You don't love me, Ty. You can't, because I'm not your mother. She has you so mixed up that you can't possibly love anyone, or even know what love is. But I think, now that I've had time to think, that I can be a decent wife, and I'm willing to try. I'll even try to find the love that I thought existed when I married you."

"Do you mean that? Do you?" he whispered fiercely. "If you do, you'll go to Mom's and stay until I finish my hitch. Then I'll come home and we'll get another place together."

"It's a test, isn't it, Ty? You don't really mean it about us getting another apartment. If I move to your mother's house, it will be for the rest of my life with you. And we both know it. Well, I'll have to disappoint you. You expect me to refuse. But if it's what you really want, I'll do it."

"Oh, 'Lise. You won't regret it." He hugged me and I tried hard to return his kiss.

"There is one condition, Ty." He looked at me suspiciously. "I want one day a week to myself. One entire day, to go to a show, and have dinner, or anything else that I might want to do. As long as I promise that there will be no more love affairs."

"That isn't fair, Elise. Mom will never--"

"Damn Mother. This is between us. I want one day of freedom, or all seven. If you can't trust me one day a week, you don't need me. Well?"

"All right. All right, 'Lise. We'll do it your way. I'll call Mom and tell her right after breakfast."

"Fine, Ty." I finished the coffee in silence, then began to fix breakfast for us.

As soon as we'd finished eating, I cleaned up the kitchen while Ty phoned his mother. I could hear him talking, although he tried to lower his voice. I knew by the way he was talking that she did not approve of the day out that I'd asked for. Ty argued in my defense, if argue is what you'd call it. Finally he hung up the phone.

"Mom's delighted that you have decided to come home," he said when he returned to the kitchen.

"She didn't like my one conditional surrender, though."

"She thought it was a great idea, 'Lise."

He came over to the sink and slipped his arms around my waist, so I didn't tell him that I'd been listening. Instead I let him kiss me. And when he suggested that we go back to bed, I didn't resist. Instead I tried awfully hard to give him the love that he expected. If he noticed that I was a little cold, he didn't let it show. He was almost ardent, though certainly rough. I tried to feel something, but it was not there. When it was over and Ty had fallen asleep again, I lay beside him, feeling unfulfilled and frustrated. If he'd just tried a little harder or a little longer, I might have felt a lot better. Finally, I too went to sleep.

The next couple of days were pretty hectic because there was so much packing to do. And then the moving, which took most of the third day. After the furniture had been stored in the Harris' empty garage and we had unpacked our clothes, we settled down to a routine, which consisted of eating, sleeping, watching television and, for me, helping out with the household chores.

Mother was polite, but very suspicious if I should ask to go for a walk in the evening. Ty was always gentle and adoring if his mother was present. But I noticed that as his time at home grew shorter, he became more demanding of me. This I did not mind. I was trying not to be dissatisfied with him. But as his demands grew, so did his brutality, and often my body had bruises the next morning.

Of the three Harrises, I thank goodness for Papa. He always had a pleasant word for me, and if Mother was not around, a smile that seemed to tell me that he was more my friend than he was Ty's father.

Finally Ty's time was up and he was gone. He actually seemed to be relieved, although he put on a good performance. He even had a few tears on his cheeks when he kissed me good-bye, but I was sure that it was because of having to leave his mother that he felt so badly. He insisted that it would be easier for him if I did not accompany him to the train depot, so while Mother went to see him off, I began preparing dinner.

The meal was almost half done when Mother returned. Knowing that she always had coffee as soon as she'd returned from any kind of outing, I set the cups on the table and poured coffee for the both of us. She was strangely silent as she sipped the brew. I eyed her, for usually she had some sort of comment to make about the way I'd done things. Finally she spoke.

"Elise, dear, I may as well talk to you now. We have several things to discuss. Things that I could hardly talk about when Ty or Papa were around." She looked at me, long and hard. "First, there's this nonsense about you and that woman."

"Mother, I thought we agreed not to talk about that affair."

"We did nothing of the kind. I just didn't bring it up to save Ty any more embarrassment. But I would like to know if you intend to carry on like that now that your husband is gone again."

"Eddie is gone. For good. She told me to forget it, that it was a mistake. And that ended it."

"But there are other--other women that are like her. Suppose you get lonely again?" She raised her eyebrows and peered at me over the rim of her cup.

"There will be no more affairs, Mother. Not as long as I'm married to, or living with your son. Is that what you want to know?"

"Exactly. Now, this business about Ty not satisfying you. What kind of rot is that? Don't you know anything about a woman's duty to her man?"

"What are you getting at, Mother?" I set my cup down.

"Elise, I don't mean any offense to you, but you should have had someone to teach you about life. Sex is meant for only two things. To keep your husband at home and to reproduce."

"And you don't feel that a woman should enjoy it too?"

"Of course she should, if she's capable, or if she's a prostitute, or the kind of woman who lives only for sex." She smiled, too sweetly. "Good, decent women take part in sex because that's what is expected of them. It isn't a matter of enjoying it or not. It's your duty as a good wife to satisfy your man's wants and needs."

"Mother, this is your house. And I don't care to argue with you about it. You have your opinion about it, and I have mine. Let's leave it that way. I intend to try to be a good wife to Ty, and to do that I'll have to live here with you so that you can watch me and make your reports to him. I'll furnish proof of where I go on my day out, and I'll do anything you think I should, to be a good wife. Anything but let you change my views on life.

"If you can finish dinner without me, I think I'll take a nap." I rushed out of the kitchen.

I closed the door to my room and threw myself across the bed. Eddie raced across my mind. Just thinking a-bout her made me weak, and I intended to keep my promise to Ty and to myself about forgetting her. But could I? Wasn't I her kind too? That was something I had to grow away from, even if I had to see a psychiatrist to do it. Finally I picked out a magazine and read it until I heard Papa come home from his job at the hospital.

CHAPTER FIVE

There was no more talk about sex between Mother and myself. The days slowly stretched out into an eternity, each one so much like the one before. Had it not been for the Wednesdays I spent away from home, I would have gone completely mad.

I lived for that one day each week when I could do as I wished, without having Mother beside me or within calling distance. For the first two months, when I returned to the house, I carefully laid the stub from my theatre ticket on the coffee table. Or my sales slips, if I'd decided to go shopping. And once it was a ticket from a skating rink. But before the third month had passed, even those things had become almost routine. I decided to go to the tiny beach in our town, and Mother really hit the ceiling. "Why, it's ridiculous, Elise. No one goes to the beach in late September. It's the silliest thing I ever heard of!"

"Just the same, I'm going to the beach. I can eat lunch there, and they have a very nice aquarium."

"It's too cold to swim. And that's what beaches are for."

"Not necessarily," I said as I picked up my sweater and the little paper bag that held my lunch. I left the house quickly, before she could argue any more, and almost ran to the bus stop.

It was much cooler at the beach than I had thought it would be, because it had been warm in town. I ate my lunch as soon as I arrived, then went into the aquarium, which was housed in a small, barn like building.

The exhibits were interesting, but few, and in little more than an hour, I'd looked at everything twice. At last I left, but with regret. There was nowhere else that I cared to go, and it was only a little past two.

After I'd taken a bus back into town, I waited for the right one to take me home, when I noticed that I was across the street from a bar. I fought the temptation to go in, then finally decided that one drink wouldn't hurt me. I crossed the street and hurried inside.

There were several people at the bar, so I took a seat in a booth near the rear of the building. The bartender took my order and returned with the drink. I sipped it slowly, wondering why I had enjoyed gin in the first place. But by the time I had finished it I knew. It was only the first one that tasted bad, so I ordered another. The third one had my head spinning a little. For my fourth drink I ordered white soda. My head cleared soon.

"Hi, baby. Mind if I sit down?" I looked at the young man with long sideburns and an unshaven face. His eyes looked me over boldly, and he leered at me, although I think he believed he was smiling.

"I'd rather drink alone," I said, looking away from him.

"What's the matter, bitch? You don't like me?" He was very plainly drunk.

"I just like to drink alone." He ignored this, and slid into the booth beside me.

"It don't look right for a lady to be sitting alone in this place. Everybody'llthink you're a pick-up."

"That's what you're thinking, isn't it? That's why you sat down here?" He put his hand over mine and I jerked it away. Angrily, he grabbed at my arm, and knocked over my glass.

"Outside, Kirk. Can't you see the lady doesn't want to be bothered?" I looked up to see a woman dressed in levis and a tailored shirt-blouse. As the young man named Kirk got up and walked to the bar, I smiled at her. She sat down opposite me.

"Thank you. He was a little rude."

"That bum. Dad ought to throw him out of here for good."

"Does your father own the place?" She shook her head.

"We call him Dad. Nobody knows his real name. Where's your old man?" She nodded toward my left hand.

"In service. Europe."

"You live around here?" I shook my head. "How come you're in a joint like this alone?"

"I felt like a drink, and this was the first place I spotted."

"Feel like company? I could use some."

"Sure. I'm Elise Harris."

"Mary Phillips." She held out her hand. Then she motioned for the bartender.

Mary bought the first drink, and I paid for the next. She told me about the club she belonged to, a motorcycle club made up entirely of women. It sounded like fun, and when I told her that I thought so, she invited me to their next meeting.

Finally, I glanced at my watch. It was nearly five, and I knew Mother would be looking for me for dinner. I rose to go.

"Why not let me take you? I've got a car. Not much, but it does run."

"Well sure. That'll be swell. Let's go." We went outside and got into her battered sedan. I gave her my address, and she started in that direction. But before we reached the house, she pulled over to the curb and parked.

"There's something about you, Elise. Something I like."

"What do you mean?" I eyed her cautiously. She put her arm around me and pulled me toward her. I guess I knew that she was going to kiss me, but I didn't know that it would affect me so. I put my arms around her neck and pulled myself closer. The fire in me mounted swiftly, until it had my whole body aflame with desire. Then just as suddenly, it went out, and I pushed her away. She released me willingly.

"I knew, Elise. Somehow, I knew. Stay with me tonight."

"I can't, Mary. I have to get home."

"You're not going home to your husband. Why do you have to go at all? You shouldn't even be married."

"I know, Mary. And I wish I'd learned sooner. But I was already married when I found out."

"You mean you've got a lover?"

"Had one. She's gone now. Has been for months."

"But not forgotten, is that it? And it shows, kid. Believe me, it shows. Oh well, maybe I'll have better luck next time." She started the car and took me home. Before I got out, she took my hand and held it a long time.

"Elise, can't you forget her? Let me help you." I shook my head. "We can be friends, though, can't we? You'll come to the meeting?"

"I'll try, Mary. Call me." I gave the number to her, and hurried into the house to find Mother sitting in the living room alone.

"Where have you been all day?" she asked icily.

"Today was my day out, Mother. Have you had dinner?"

I went into the kitchen to find that dinner had been cleared away, so I fixed myself a sandwich and had some coffee with it. Then I went upstairs to my room, shut myself in and went to bed.

Early the next morning Mother woke me by banging loudly on my door: "Elise. Will you please answer the telephone? Elise!"

"Yes, Mother. Do you know who it is?"

"Some woman. I didn't ask her name." I could tell by her tone that she thought it was Eddie. Excitedly I hurried to the telephone. "Hello. Oh, hello, Mary."

"You sound a little disappointed, Elise. Did I wake you?"

"Yes, but it's all right. I would have been up in a few minutes."

"I just called to see if you were going to make it today."

"I'm afraid not, Mary. I have to get my laundry done, and I always go shopping with Mother on Thursdays."

"Is that it, or don't you want to see me?"

"That too, Mary. It wouldn't work. I'm married, and besides--"

"And besides, you can't forget your friend, is that it?"

"Partly, Mary. But the real reason is my husband."

"What the hell's he got to do with it?"

"He knew about the other woman. And he took me back. I'm trying to be a good wife to him. And the least I can do is wait until he comes home and live with him. If it doesn't work, then at least I can say that I tried."

"I see. Then there's no use in me trying to change it. You keep on trying. And if you get tired of it, look me up. You can get in touch by asking Dad where to call me."

"Thanks for understanding, Mary. I'll remember what you said."

"Good luck, kid." The telephone clicked and the line was dead.

I placed the receiver in its cradle and rose from the telephone seat. When I turned to go back to my room, I almost bumped into Mother. She had, evidently, been listening.

"I'm glad to see that you meant what you said, Elise. Was that your friend?"

"It was a friend, Mother. She invited me to a club meeting."

"And was that the only invitation she offered you?" She raised her brows and stared at me.

"You heard that much, and you must have heard what I told her." I walked past her and went to my room to dress.

Mother spoke to me only when it was necessary to ask a question, and I made it easier for her to ignore me by not saying anything to her unless it was necessary. In fact, we spent the entire day without saying more than a dozen words, and Mother went shopping alone.

That evening after dinner I went to my room and changed into the skirt and blouse that Eddie had given me. When I went back down the stairs, Mother was standing on the bottom step.

"Going out, Elise?"

"Yes. Would you like to go? I'm going over to the Arcadia Lounge for a drink and some fresh air."

"I certainly would not like to go. And I don't think you should either. No decent, sensible--"

"No sensible woman, or man either would spend all his time cooped up in this morgue with nothing but a couple corpses for company," I snapped. "I will not be an inmate in this prison any longer. And if you don't approve of my actions, you can put me out. I did invite you to go along, and that should be far more than enough proof that I'm not up to some kind of mischief. Now. I'll ask again. Would you like to go with me?"

"No! And if you go, don't you ever come back into this house."

"I'll send you my new address tomorrow." I slammed the door behind me when I left, and walked slowly to the corner to phone for a cab.

The Arcadia was not crowded, but the few people that were there were lively enough. The band wasn't especially good, but it was loud, and that seemed satisfactory. Pat was tending the bar, and she smiled slightly as I walked to the end of the bar and sat on a stool. I ordered a drink. When she served it she lingered a moment.

"Have you heard from that singer lately?"

"Not since she left. Why?"

"I just thought you might like to know that the band she was with broke up. She made them lose too many jobs, and Jeff wouldn't fire her because he was sweet on her, and kept hoping to change her. So the rest of the guys walked out on them."

"Really? And why would I want to know that?"

"She's coming back here. Bill, my old man sent for her to sing with this group we've got now. She may be funny, but she sure did pull in a nice crowd."

I think I hid my surprise pretty well. At least my hand didn't shake when I lifted the glass to my lips. And that is more than I could say for my stomach. It turned clear over, a couple times. I set the glass down on the bar and reached into my purse for a cigarette. Pat laughed.

"You sure are cool about it. I thought you two were tight when she was here."

"Not very. Just while she was here."

"I can put you on one of the other chicks, if you want me to."

"Thanks, Pat, but let's just say I was experimenting. And I think I'd rather be a housewife."

To this, she shrugged her shoulders and walked to the other end of the bar to serve a customer. When she was free again, she returned to my end of the bar to ask, "Want another drink, Elise?"

"Yes, please. And don't water it unless it's on the house." She laughed and went to fix the drink.

"She'll be here tomorrow night. Why don't you make it on in?"

"I'll be busy tomorrow. Maybe I'll get down on Saturday." I finished the drink and left. It was a nice evening so I decided to walk home.

I didn't think about much of anything on that long walk. I tried to picture Eddie, but it had been a long time, and it was hard to remember just how she looked.

It wasn't hard to remember the thrills she had given me, and the sweet, tender nights I had spent with her. I pushed these thoughts from my mind and counted cars instead.

I mounted the steps to the porch and reached for the outer door. It was locked. I started to reach for the doorbell when I looked down and saw my two suitcases. I picked them up and went back down the steps.

For the second time this evening, I went to the telephone booth and called a cab. It arrived in a few minutes and I gave the driver the address of the place where Eddie had lived. It was only a short time before he pulled up in front of the house.

Mrs. Demming was in bed, but she was cheerful about being awakened in the middle of the night. Perhaps the two weeks in advance that I paid her helped. She had a room for me, she said. The very one that my sister, Mrs. Wallace, had had.

After she'd gone back to her own room, I closed the door and locked it. Then I looked around.

Everything in the room was the same. A naked light bulb glared at me from its long wire, hanging in the center of the room.

I didn't bother to unpack my clothes. I just set the suitcases beside the dresser, threw my clothes on the old rocker, and turned off the light.

I crawled into the bed, and it too was the same. Cool and comfortable. The sheets felt good, and I lay there staring into the darkness until I became drowsy. When I pulled the top sheet over me, I tried to think of Ty, but instead it was almost as if I could feel Eddie beside me, caressing my body as she had so often. At last I fell asleep.

CHAPTER SIX

Saturday morning I awoke early. I just couldn't sleep any longer, with Eddie and Ty both trying to dominate my dreams. In my mind I was between the two. I lay in bed a while, just staring at the walls. But even then I couldn't rest. I got up and began going through my bags to find my old duster. It was missing, along with several other things that I knew had been in my bedroom at Mother Harris'. I finally put on an old cotton dress and went to the tiny bathroom at the end of the hall. Even washing my face did not clear up the fuzziness that I felt, and it was impossible for me to cleanse my mind of all the anxieties that possessed it. First Ty would say "be a good wife," then Eddie would smile.

I left the room shortly afterward, and went to the corner restaurant for coffee. Then I called Mother's house to ask about the rest of my things. Papa answered.

"I'd like to have the things that Mother forgot to pack, Papa."

"Mama wouldn't like it, Elise. She said not to give you the rest because Tyson had paid for them."

"Not all of them. Not the blue negligee that she kept."

"Oh. If it's the thing I'm thinking of, Mama burnt it She'll be gone until about one, if you want to hurry over and get the rest of the stuff."

"Not if it will cause trouble for you, Papa. I'd rather face her myself. I can wait."

"She'll be mad, Elise, but I've listened to her raving for almost thirty years, and I'm used to it. Besides, before you and my son get things worked out, I expect it a lot more. Come on over and get your things and leave before she gets back. I'll pay for a cab if you don't have the money."

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Papa. And thank you so much."

The cab came immediately and it was less than ten minutes before I timidly opened the door and entered the home of my in-laws. I found Papa in the room that had been mine. He had a small pile of clothes on the bed and was going through a bureau drawer. He jumped when I spoke to him.

"Oh dear. I thought you were Mama. Come on and help me. I'm not too good at packing."

I pitched in and we soon had all of my things cleared from the room and placed in the center of the bed. Then, Papa helped me stuff the articles into a large cardboard box and two paper shopping bags.

"I'll call a cab, Elise. It's almost twelve-thirty. You'll have to hurry."

While Papa phoned, I began to carry the bags and box downstairs. The cab was slow in coming, and I had just finished putting the things in the back seat and was about to get in myself when Mother walked up to me.

"Bring those things back into my house immediately." Her voice was a snarl and her face was livid with rage. "I left word that you weren't to take anything out of here."

"The door was open so I walked in and took the rest of my own personal things."

Even as I told her the lie, she knew it was untrue, for Papa called to me from inside the house: "You'd better hurry, Elise. It's almost one now. And don't forget to give me the address."

"So!" Mother stalked to the house and went inside, slamming the door loudly. I shut the door of the cab without getting inside and spoke softly to the cabbie.

"Take these things to 2315 College. Leave them with the landlady, or if she isn't there, set them outside the door to room "D". Then come back here at two o'clock."

I handed him five dollars, and he gave me in. return a huge toothy grin and roared off. Then I went back inside the house.

Mother was screaming like a madwoman. When she saw me she picked up a large book and threw it at Papa. He ducked it expertly, and calmly sat down on the couch. He lit his pipe, took a long draw, and motioned me to a seat.

"Sit down, Elise. We have a few things to say to each other."

"I won't stay, Papa. I just wanted Mother to know that it wasn't your fault that I came here today."

"But it was. When you phoned, I told you to come while she was gone. You don't need to lie to protect me."

He smoked calmly as he talked and Mother stopped shrieking to stare at him in surprise.

"Now, Bessie," he said, "if you will sit down, we can talk this out."

"I have nothing to say to this--this slut."

She turned on her heel and left the room, but I could almost feel her listening outside the door.

"Now, Elise," Papa continued, "just why did you go out last night?"

"I told Mother why. I'm sick of being watched like a prisoner. This house isn't a home for me. It's a jail."

"Is that your only reason?"

"It was. I guess you think I went to see Eddie. Well, she isn't even in Bartstown. You can phone the Arcadia and check that if you want to. Pat told me last night that she'd heard from Eddie, that she knows where she is, but she didn't pass it on to me."

"Then you don't even know where this woman is?"

"No, Papa. I don't know where she is."

"Are you planning to try to find her now that you no longer live with us?"

"No. I got a letter from her before Ty left. She told me to forget her. To try to make my marriage work. And I have been doing that. But how on earth can a marriage work when there is no marriage?"

"What do you mean, Elise, that there is no marriage?"

"Ty isn't here. He's gone. And how does he spend his time? I don't know. And neither do you. We've only his word for it that he's been true to me. But that isn't important. The only really vital thing is what he's tried to do to me. When I had an apartment, I wasn't allowed to work. Ty wouldn't hear of it. So your wife appointed herself watchdog over me to see that I didn't get into trouble. Well I did, in spite of her. Or was it because of her--constantly prying, insisting, and plain nagging." I paused to light a cigarette. "I just don't feel like a wife. I feel like some silly, useless toy. Out of all these months of marriage all I have is a name and a nosey mother-in-law. You even erase the marriage idea by being just a good friend."

"What do you intend to do now?"

"First, I'm going to get that job that I should have had a long time ago. Something to keep me busy. Then I'm going to work and work and work. Until Ty comes home. After that I'll quit and we'll get an apartment. I'll do every single thing I can to be a good wife. If he wants babies, we'll have them. Lots of them. And I'll stay with them and be a good mother."

"Tyson will be home in a few months, Elise."

"I know that. Five months, two weeks and three days from yesterday he will be discharged. By then I should have a nice little bank account to help us get started without asking for anything from you and Mother."

"I see. I see." He nodded approvingly. Just then the cabbie blew his horn and Papa looked out the window. "Did you ask the cab to return?"

"Yes, Papa. I'm going home to unpack and get settled. Then I intend to enjoy myself the rest of the weekend. Monday I'll be hunting for a job. It isn't too hard to pretend I've had experience as a waitress. I'm getting that by watching other working girls."

Papa walked with me to the cab and helped me inside. He took my hand and squeezed it, and I felt a crumpled piece of paper in it.

After the cab pulled away from the curbing I opened my hand. Inside my closed fist had been a note and a twenty dollar bill. The note read simply: 'If you don't need it, put it in the bank until your birthday.' I smiled to myself, then told the cabbie to take me to the house on College. He seemed to know where I was going, though, for he was already headed in that direction.

* * *

I'd paid my rent for two weeks, put aside enough money to buy my meals for as long, and still had almost seven dollars left. More than enough to have a really wild Saturday night, and maybe even a Sunday evening movie.

I dressed carefully for the evening, and when I inspected myself, I was more than a little pleased. The smooth, tight-fitting dress clung to me like my own skin. I had braided my hair into one thick plait and pulled it to the side of my head. There I had folded it in half and pinned it so that it resembled a french roll. A string of pearls and large earrings were the only jewelry I wore. My accessories of black patent leather made the outfit complete.

I stopped in several bars, carefully avoiding the Arcadia. It wasn't much fun, being alone, but it was different. And before long I began to enjoy the whistles and sly comments that the men made. I was glad that it was warm enough to go without a coat.

At about three a.m., I'd had it. I called a cab and told the driver where to take me. In heading toward my house, he went directly past the Arcadia.

I looked for Eddie without realizing that I was staring. I saw her standing on the sidewalk in front of the building. She was with Pat, and they were laughing. A pang of jealousy stabbed at me, but I shook it away, telling myself that I meant what I'd said about trying to be a good wife to Ty. And I would, until I knew that it was an entirely hopeless affair.

I paid the cabbie and went into the house. I went to my room and after I'd locked the door and drawn the window shade, I began to remove my clothes. Only then did it occur to me that every single thing I'd worn that night had been bought for me by Eddie.

Still determined to keep my promise to be a good wife, I began to sort ray clothes. I took everything that she'd given me and put it back into the suitcases that I'd stored empty in the closet. I then put the bags under the bed. Shortly afterward, nearly daylight, I crawled into bed and fell into the deep, hypnotic sleep of the completely exhausted.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Monday morning began a little excitedly for me. And a little sadly. I went to the corner cafe and had coffee. I had gotten acquainted with the waitress there the day before. This morning she told me where there was a waitress position open. I rushed to the restaurant where she'd sent me and found that the job had just been taken.

A visit to the employment office gave me several leads, but they were all filled by the time I got there. Finally I decided to try a place that I'd heard about from Eddie.

I entered the Bamboo Club and located the manager's office quite easily. He was a stout, red faced man with white hair. He wore his glasses low on his nose. He spoke in a soft voice when he asked why I was there.

"I've heard that from time to time you need waitresses, and I'd like to leave my application."

"We are accepting applications," he said. "Yes, we are."

He pulled a long sheet of paper from a drawer and began asking questions. I answered automatically. After the questionnaire had been filled out, he excused himself and left the room.

Moments later a small middle aged woman with dyed red hair, a very tight dress and high heels that were too high for her entered the room.

"I'm Ann Crawford, the dining-room hostess. Have you had any experience at serving banquet style?"

"I'm afraid not. I've served in cafeterias and taverns, but that's about all."

"Well, it isn't too much more complicated than that. You look intelligent. I have a girl leaving tomorrow. If you'll be here by 11:30 a.m. we'll try you on part time for a few weeks. We furnish uniforms. You'll need white shoes, street hose, and a net for your hair. You will have to pin it up, too. Health Department regulations. It mustn't be more than shoulder length." Her voice was crisp and businesslike, but her smile was friendly enough.

I listened as she talked. She told me to report to the manager's office when I came in the next day. I thanked her and she left.

I waited for a few minutes, then rose from the chair in which I was seated. At that moment, Mr. Henry, the manager returned. He motioned for me to sit back down. After I'd made out a tax statement, he smiled and said, "I hope you'll like it here. Oh yes, your salary. To start, we pay eighty-eight dollars, full time. Fifty-two part time. Once monthly you receive a bonus. That will amount to five per cent of the total cost of the food that you serve. This is to compensate for the rule we have against tipping."

Mr. Henry walked me to the door of his office, then excused himself and went up the stairs to my right. I turned to the left and went outside, elated at having found a job on my very first day.

I rushed back to the cafe on the corner from where I lived and began to tell Lola, the waitress, about my extraordinary luck.

While I sat at the counter sipping a cup of coffee, I saw Eddie's car pull up. My heart stopped beating for a second, then I rushed toward the door. Pulling it open, I called to her. She smiled and reached for the door handle. Then she hastily started the car's motor and pulled away from the curbing, and waved to me.

Puzzled, I waited for a few seconds before I closed the door and went back to my coffee. Eddie had almost ignored me. Evidently she had meant what she said about forgetting. She'd acted like less than a casual friend.

I finished my coffee and went back to my little room.

* * *

The next morning I was sitting in the manager's office at the Bamboo Club at exactly eleven o'clock. He seemed delighted that I was so early. And Miss Crawford was very cheerful when she greeted me. She took me up a short flight of stairs to a small linen closet. The little old woman who kept the keys to the closet introduced herself as Louise. She squinted at me over the top of her glasses, then grinned and handed me a uniform. I smiled back at her. The uniform was the correct size. She handed me a small white towel, an apron, and a little piece of cloth that served for a cap.

"You get clean uniforms on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before 11:30," she said. And then she turned her back and began sorting towels.

I followed Miss Crawford out of the tiny room and up another flight of stairs.

We crossed a large, bare-looking room. In one corner was a small bar, and at the farthest end were a few pool tables. We passed the tables and turned into a hallway. There, Miss Crawford knocked on a door. It was opened a crack by a young, pretty girl.

"June, this is Elise Harris. Elise, June Carter. June will show you around. You'll work with her today."

Miss Crawford handed me a large round pin with the number 8 on it, and a key with 34 printed on both sides. "This is your badge," she explained. "Wear it all the time you're on the floor, and put the number on all your checks. The key is to your locker."

With that she left. The girl named June opened the door wide and bowed to me.

"Welcome to the castle," she said. "So you're the new lady in waiting for the royal court? Congratulations. If you've got nerves of steel, you'll be here a long time. Six months, maybe."

She laughed, and I laughed with her. I went into the room and found about ten more girls half dressed, eating sandwiches and drinking either coffee or milk.

June introduced me to each of them, but I forgot their names immediately. She showed me where my locker was, and I began to change my clothes.

"Don't forget to lock that thing, Elise. Not-that we don't trust each other. But there's no lock on the door. Anyone can come in here, and they usually do."

"Come on, girls! There's work to be done." The voice, and a loud knock came from outside the door. The door was pushed open. A man dressed completely in white, except for a black bowtie, stood there looking at the still only partially dressed women in the room. No one seemed to mind. June explained.

"That's Gerry, our male waitress. She's just one of the girls."

I nodded, understanding just what she meant.

"Well, let's make it," she said. "It's fifteen till."

We left the room and went down the hallway and down a narrow flight of stairs.

At the end of the stairs we entered the kitchen, a large room filled with good smells. It made me feel hungry and I wished I had taken time to eat lunch. I followed June through one of a pair of swinging doors, and then through another to the dining room. It was very nice. A quick glance showed me that this wasn't a restaurant for just anyone who happened to be hungry. There were about twenty tables for four, spaced far enough apart to make serving easy. At the front of the long room was a banquet table with twelve chairs around it. In the center of the room were two long tables for six. And at the farthest end, nestled in a corner, was a large round table with chairs to accommodate twelve customers.

On that same side of the room, at the front, was a small area with a tile floor. This was called the porch. It was surrounded by wrought-iron fencing, with two openings. There were four tables for four on the porch, each having a glass top and wrought-iron legs. The chairs were wrought iron also, and there were paper placemats on the tables, rather than linen table covers, such as those on the other tables.

Outside the fence were long boxes constructed of knotty pine. These were filled with imitation plants, as were the boxes atop the partition where the round table stood. Those stairs, I was informed by June, led to the barroom that opened just before the dinner hour. It was called Halfway House, because it was on a split level, halfway between the first and second floors. On that floor there was just the bar and the linen closet.

The entire room, except for the porch was carpeted, and drapes hung on three sides, entirely covering the walls.

On the fourth side of the room, next to the kitchen doors was a small counter which June called the station. On it were kept small dishes, silver and glassware, along with fresh rolls and spreads for sandwiches. There was also an electric plate on which six pots of coffee were kept hot.

Music seeped into the room via concealed speakers, giving a comfortable, friendly atmosphere to the entire room.

I was instructed to follow June and help her whenever I could. So I aided in bringing in ice cubes, butter, rolls, and other small items that were kept at the station. Then, when the customers began coming in, June told me to just watch, and that if someone needed a hand, such as making iced tea or filling one of the plastic bread baskets, I could help do that. I did as she ordered, and it didn't take long to learn that banquet style wasn't too different from what Lola did. It just took longer.

I found it interesting to watch the busboys rushing around, filling glasses with ice cubes and water and carrying out huge trays of dirty dishes. There were also waitresses who served first; they were the starters. Then came the meal itself, and then dessert.

I helped clean off the tables when customers left. Each time a table emptied, it meant taking off everything, putting on clean cloths and napkins, and setting on the silver and glasses.

The second and third days were exactly the same as the first, and I began to get bored. But on the fourth day Ann, as all the waitresses called Miss Crawford, instructed me to take a table. I did, and I managed so well that at the end of the afternoon there were four tickets with my badge number on them lying at the bottom of the stack on the little table that stood near the door to the kitchen.

"Good work, Elise," she said, smiling broadly. "You learn fast. I want you to come in tonight and watch how we serve dinner."

"What time, Ann?"

"We start serving at five sharp," she replied.

Just then Mr. Henry came over to her, and Ann excused herself. I left and went to the locker room to change into my street clothes.

Helen Martin was the only one beside me who had not gone home. I told her that Ann had started me on night service.

"She picked a helluva night to break you in. Friday and Saturday are the two worst nights of the week. She must have a lot of faith in you."

"I just hope I live up to it." I smiled weakly, for I had my doubts.

"You will. You act like this job is the most important thing in the world to you."

"I guess it is. My husband's in Europe and I have no kids and no living relatives that I know of."

"Well, it's one thing in life to work," she said. "But a job's not all there is. You ought to go out some night. About five or six of us go out together on Saturday nights and have a ball. Why don't you come along sometime?"

"I may take you up on that, Helen," I answered. "But first I want to get used to my job."

Helen and I left together, but outside we separated. She went toward the downtown area to do some shopping, while I headed back to my little room to read and rest until time to go back to the club.

* * *

There was a little difference in serving dinner. For instance, there were no busboys to fill water glasses and serve drinks. And we had to go up to Halfway House for the liquor, rather than to the billiard room bar, as we sometimes did when the busboys were busy at noon.

And there was the relish tray, with its radishes, onions, cottage cheese, and pickles. This was served right after the food was ordered, so the customer might have something to nibble on while he waited for the starters.

The salads were sent from the kitchen with no dressing, and the customer chose from a tray with four kinds of salad dressing, and put this on the salad himself.

The people who dined here ate very slowly. It was tedious, waiting for them to finish with the starter course before serving main courses. And it seemed hours before they were ready for a dessert. As soon as the dessert was served, we were allowed to place the finger bowls on the tables. And shortly after this, Ann made her way to the table to serve mints, and to con- verse with the customers.

After that it was simply a matter of cleaning up and resetting the tables. The next night I began serving both daily meals, and June congratulated me heartily.

"Gee," she said, "I was here almost two weeks before Ann would trust me to serve at night. You ought to go out and celebrate with us."

"Thanks, June," I declined, "but I'm beat. I'm going to bed in about ten minutes."

"Next week, then?"

"Maybe. By then I should be used to the walking, and my feet won't hurt so darn bad." She laughed with me, but it wasn't really so funny.

It had been a busy night, with only four of us to take care of about 100 customers. And my feet really did hurt--so badly, in fact, that I took a cab home.

There was a note on the floor just inside my door. It was from Lola, who had started working just in the evenings. The note asked that I come down to the cafe for a minute. So I pulled my coat around me and dragged myself down to see what she wanted.

"Hey, kid," she said upon seeing me, "what's with your friend?"

"Who?"

I sipped at the coffee that she'd set before me. "Your pal," she said. "You know, the one you used to come in here with so much. That woman who sings!"

"You mean Edna Wallace?" She nodded.

"I don't know," I said. "Why?"

"She came in here about six o'clock. Wanted to know where you were working, where you lived, where your old man was, and everything. Gee! She asked so many questions I burned her burger. I was so busy answering her questions I forgot about it."

"What else did she want?" I asked. "And what did you tell her?"

Lola served me three more cups of coffee as she told me the entire conversation she'd had with Eddie. When she'd finished, she threw up both hands and sighed.

"Boy! Do I wish I had someone to worry about me like that. Funny thing, though," Lola said. "She insisted that I not tell you she was here."

"Was she alone?" I asked. "I mean, was there anyone in her car waiting for her?"

Lola shook her head.

"Nobody that I could see," she answered. "And I got perfect eyes."

I finished the coffee and rose to go.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" she asked.

"I snitched some sandwiches at the club," I answered. "I'll munch on them."

I walked to the door and pulled it open, then let it close without going out. "Lola," I turned to face her, "if she comes back, tell her that she should ask me anything she wants to know. Tell her you don't know anything more than what you've already told her."

"You mean I shouldn't have said anything before?" she frowned.

"It's okay, Lola," I assured her. "But you just tell her that I know more about me than you do. If she wants information, I'll give it to her."

"Okay, kid. Will do." She gave me a cheery grin and waved as I went out into the sharp, biting air.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The weeks slipped by, and before I knew it, Thanksgiving Day was upon me. I'd made no special plans for the day. Mother and I still weren't speaking, though occasionally I talked to Papa on the telephone. Once he'd even visited me at my room and we'd gone out to lunch together.

I tumbled out of bed later than usual, since the Club was closed for Thanksgiving. I took my time dressing. By the time I was fully clothed, hunger had begun to gnaw at my insides, so I pulled on my coat and headed for the cafe.

I took a stool and began to look at the menu. Moms, the woman who owned the place, was working behind the counter. She greeted me warmly. We talked quite a bit, since I was the only customer she had at the moment. I laughed at her jokes, and she laughed with me about the snobbish people that I served meals to. Then she became quite serious.

"Honey, if you don't like your job, why don't you quit? You can go to work for me tomorrow, if you want to."

"You have Lola," I said. "She can handle the place."

"Not all the time," Moms said. "Besides, I'd like to get out of the place for good. Truth is, honey, I'm getting old, fat, and lazy."

"Aw, Moms, you don't mean that." I laughed at her.

"I sure do," she insisted. "Just as soon as I can get someone to take over for me, I intend to quit everything but counting the profits."

"You mean it!" I said, convinced now that she did. "Maybe I will take it. I'll let you know for sure next Monday, if you can wait that long."

"I'd wait longer if I thought I could get you to take it," she confided. "I know I can trust you with it. But if you turn it down, you'll have to eat somewhere else. 'Cause I'm gonna throw away your plate."

She laughed as she set the dishes before me. I began to eat, and soon discovered I was hungrier than I'd realized.

I was nearly finished when Moms jumped up from her high stool and went to get something from under the cash register. Coming back to me, she laid a wrinkled envelope on the counter and smiled apologetically.

"I guess I forgot about this. Some lady asked me to give this to you. She left it about an hour before you came in."

There was no writing on the envelope. But my fingers began to tremble as I tore at it, trying to open the flap. Finally I gave up and tore off the whole end. As I had somehow known, it was from Eddie. She was requesting that I meet her here at the cafe at five, and have dinner with her.

I folded the note and stuffed it into my pocket. Of course I couldn't do it. Not if I were to keep my promise to be a good wife. But I knew then, as I picked at the food that was still left on my plate that I'd be here at four, waiting impatiently until I saw her car pull up at the curb in front of the building.

By the time Eddie arrived, I had already finished two cups of coffee and was sipping a third. And she was a full half hour early. I sat with my back to the door so that I would not appear impatient, but my neck was sore from turning to look every time the door opened. When she finally did come, I had gotten so tired of looking around that I hadn't even turned to see who was coming in. When she placed her hand on my shoulder, my body stiffened.

"Hello, Eddie," I said. "Sit down." I didn't look up from the cup I was toying with.

She slid into the seat opposite me. When I did look at her, I didn't know what to say. I could have asked if she'd missed me, or if she still loved me, but the answer to both questions was right there in her eyes. She took my hand and held it for a few minutes, then rose and pulled me to my feet.

"Let's go," she said. "Dinner will be cold before we get back."

I followed her outside and we got into her car.

She was silent as she drove through the streets of Bartstown, and that silence was broken only by my heavy breathing. At last she pulled up before a small green bungalow. We got out of the car and she held my hand as she led me up the walk to the big heavy door. She unlocked it and pushed it open for me. I stepped into the house and was greeted by the familiar odor of roast turkey and all the trimmings.

She took my coat, then led me through the large, �veil furnished living room into a smaller but just as nicely decorated dining room. The table had been set for two. The gleaming silver sparkled in the candlelight where it lay on the spotless white linen tablecloth. The center of the table was adorned with a low crystal vase that held several huge chrysanthemums. And the crystal dishes were just beautiful. The whole thing was breathtaking, and in spite of myself, I let a soft gasp of surprise slip out.

"I'm glad you like it, Elise," Eddie said softly.

She held my chair and I sat down. Before she seated herself, she uncovered the dishes on the table, and the meal itself could have been a banquet prepared by the best chef in the world.

I ate heartily, and the food was every bit as delicious as it appeared to be, if not more so. Eddie seemed pleased that I had enjoyed it.

"Now. You go in there while I clear off the table. It won't take me long." She ushered me into the living room and seated me on the sectional couch, then left the room. I could hear her moving about, and it seemed like hours before she rejoined me, carrying two tall glasses, one of which she handed to me.

"Dynamite?" I asked, a smile playing on my lips.

"Not this time, Elise," she answered.

She gazed at me steadily for a few moments, then turned away and walked across the room to turn on the television set. When she returned, she sat in a chair that was several feet away from the couch.

Neither of us spoke much, and when we did, it was about my job, or about Ty, or my in-laws. Or about this house that she had leased. We watched the second rate shows, and had several drinks. Finally it was time for the news, and Eddie asked if I'd like to go home.

"I think I should," I answered. "I do have to go to work tomorrow."

"Let's go then," she said. "I'll get your coat."

She helped me into it and put on her own. Then she turned off the television set and lights, and we left.

The moon was bright, and the stars shone clearly. The air was crisp, but it was a beautiful night just the same. In my secret heart of hearts, I was wishing that Eddie would kiss me, but I was also praying that she wouldn't. For me, the drive was too short. She pulled up in front of the house where I lived and turned off the ignition. I looked at her expectantly.

"You're so pretty, honey," she said with a smile.

It seemed that she was speaking more to herself than to me, so I didn't answer. Then finally, I spoke: "It's been a wonderful evening, Eddie. Thank you so much."

"I enjoyed it too, Elise. But we'd better not do it again."

I knew just what she meant, because I, too, was getting weak. I opened the door and started to get out when she spoke my name softly. I turned to her and in the next instant we were in each other's arms.

Her kiss stirred in me all the old fire that I'd hoped had finally died out. She held me tightly, but it wasn't tight enough. I squirmed until I was so close I was almost inside her coat. My whole body was screaming for her love, but suddenly she pushed me away.

"This isn't the way to forget, Elise. I'm sorry."

She turned away from me and started the car. I grabbed at her arm.

"Eddie. Eddie, please. Just this once. Stay with me for a while. Please." I was crying hysterically.

She shook her head, and I opened the door and flung myself out of the car. I raced to the steps, and in a flash Eddie was beside me. She held me firmly and led me into the house and down the hall.

"Which one is it?" she asked.

I pointed dumbly toward my door.

She fumbled in my purse until she found my key and opened the door for me. Then she pushed me inside and followed, closing the door behind her.

"Elise," she said, "this is no good. Ty will be home again, and we'll go through the same hell we had before."

"I don't care, Eddie," I sobbed. "I love you. I tried to forget, but I can't. Just stay a while. Just a few minutes. Don't kiss me. Don't even touch me. But please stay."

She shook her head and said, "I'm sorry that I did this to you honey, but I had to see you. I wanted to try to make you happy for a short while. But it just makes it harder, so we won't do it again." And she was out the door before I could stop her.

By the time I'd reached the door to the porch, her car had pulled away from the curb. I returned to my room and flung myself down on the bed, crying' and calling her name aloud. It wasn't until Mother Harris spoke that I realized that I hadn't closed the door. Her one sentence, spoken with a sneer, jolted me back to reality.

"So this is what you call being a good wife!"

Before I could answer, she turned and walked quickly down the hall, her heels tapping sharply on the bare wood floor.

* * *

I went to work the next morning in a daze. June asked if I felt sick, and I don't think I even bothered to answer. All through the noon meal I kept dropping things, until Ann finally asked if I didn't want to leave early. I did, but I returned in the evening to help with dinner because they were expecting quite a few big parties.

Things went smoothly for awhile. I had three tables to serve, which wasn't a very heavy load. Then a fourth table came in, and I was the next waitress up. I went through the routine of serving the relish tray after I'd picked up their order. Almost as soon as I'd placed the order with the cook and began serving the starter dishes, one of the guests decided to change her order. I forced a smile to my lips as I took the new order and returned to the kitchen to give it to the chef.

I cleared the tables automatically, and finally the main course for my last table was ready. As I served it, I noticed that the chef had not substituted fish for the woman who'd decided she couldn't eat lamb chops.

As I placed the food on the table, I explained the error to the undecided lady, and asked if she wanted the food he'd sent for her, or if she'd like for me to see if he could give me her second order immediately.

"Just leave what they sent. I've been sitting here so long now I'd probably die of malnutrition before you got back."

I took a deep breath and continued placing the dishes on the table without answering her nasty comment. Before I could finish serving the meal, one of the men who had ordered fish asked if he might have some tartar sauce.

"We always serve sauce with fish, sir," I answered. "I have it on the tray if you can wait just a moment."

I continued to place the small dishes of vegetables on the table.

"Waitress," the man said again, "I'd like to have some tartar sauce. And some rolls."

I said nothing in answer to his sharp request, but walked to the tray and picked up the dish of sauce and the roll basket. Ann was standing beside the table when I turned around, and she hurried toward me.

"Elise, will you hurry up with the tartar sauce, please."

"Well if he's in that damned big of a hurry, you give it to him!"

I set the two dishes I was holding on the nearest empty table, pulled the order for the impatient guest from my pocket and handed it to Ann. Then I turned and walked through the swinging doors into the kitchen, and continued on up to the locker room where I changed my clothes and left. I went straight to the cafe and ordered a cup of coffee.

"You're off early, aren't you?" inquired Lola. "I'm off, period," I replied sourly. "I just quit. If Moms comes in tonight, tell her I'll be in tomorrow morning to talk to her about the job."

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "How about that? She'll sure be glad. I'll tell her tonight when she comes in to check supplies."

I drank my coffee slowly, then went to my room. I took a quick bath, put on a negligee, then turned on the little radio that I'd gotten a few weeks before. I lay across the bed and listened to the music for a while and soon fell asleep. But I'd only been asleep for a very short time when I was awakened by a knock on my door. I pulled myself up and went to answer it.

I was only mildly surprised to see Papa Harris standing there with his hat in his hands and a nervous little smile on his lips. And it wouldn't take an expert guesser to know why he was there, or to figure out that Mother didn't know he had come. He fingered his hat for a few seconds, then stepped inside and closed the door hurriedly behind himself.

I walked slowly back to the bed and sat down on the side of it. Then I motioned for Papa to sit in the big old rocker. He walked to it and sat down as though he expected the thing to scream at him.

"Well," I said as I slowly exhaled the smoke from the cigarette I'd just lit, "do I get questioned or cussed?"

He looked at me for a long moment before he answered.

"Mama said your friend was here last night," he said.

"News travels, doesn't it?"

"You have been seeing her again, haven't you?"

"Do you believe that, Papa?"

"She was here, wasn't she? And Mama cabled Tyson this morning."

"Damn that woman," I muttered. Then I looked at Papa, who was watching me anxiously. "Papa, I swear that that was the first time I've even spoken to her since she came back to Bartstown. She's been here months. And she said she wouldn't bother me again."

"She said that before, didn't she?"

"I had dinner with her," I explained. "Is that so wrong? It was a holiday. A day to spend with family and friends. I have neither. She felt sorry for me. And that's all."

"You were crying when she left."

"I sure as hell was," I said. "Because she wouldn't stay with me. I wanted her to. I still wish she had. But she wouldn't because I'm still Ty's wife. And she isn't going to be the one to break us up, if it ever should come to that."

"But still, she invited you out," he persisted. "She felt sorry for me. There isn't a person in this whole world, unless it's you, who gives a damn whether I live or go the way all sinners do. She didn't say so, but she thinks it's wrong for me to lock myself up with nothing but a job and a little room. Maybe I'm the one who's wrong. I've tried to be what you and Mother and Ty feel that a wife should be. I'm beginning to be sorry that I agreed to try it."

"Come back home, Elise," he pleaded. "I'd feel better if you did."

"So would Mother!" I shouted. "Old eagle-eye wouldn't miss a thing I did."

"Elise, please don't shout."

"I'm sorry, Papa. But I can't come back there. I'm four miles west of hell now. That's bad enough."

"Well, I guess you're right." He sighed and looked at me sadly. Then, all at once he broke into a cheery grin. "Tell you what. Why not go out with me once a week. We could go to a show, or bowling. Or even have a drink somewhere."

"Thanks, Papa. But Mother gave me hell for going out. She'd murder you for even suggesting it, if she knew about it."

"She doesn't have to know. If we go on the same night every week, I can tell her I joined a club or something. Besides, I've worked for thirty years without a night out. I ought to be entitled to something."

"Okay, Papa. It's a date. Is Thursday okay with you?"

"Sure is."

I walked with him to the door, and I'd almost swear that the thought of fooling Mother had taken ten years off his age. His eyes twinkled merrily, and I smiled as I thought that probably, years ago, he'd been as ornery as the very devil himself.

"Oh, Papa," I said. "I almost forgot to tell you. I'm not working at the Bamboo any more. I quit tonight. But in a day or two, I'll be working at the little cafe on the corner."

"Days?" he asked. I nodded.

"Good. Maybe you'll have some extra coffee if I stop by once in a while. I'll have to save my allowance for Thursdays."

He winked at me then disappeared down the hall. I closed the door and went back to the bed, thinking as I took off the negligee how really sweet Papa was-- how sweet and understanding. His company would mean a lot to me. And perhaps it would be a help to me in staying away from Eddie.

CHAPTER NINE

The weeks slipped by quickly, and Christmas was gone. I'd received a sweater from Papa, a card with some money from Ty, and a small check from my new boss.

I hadn't heard from Eddie since Thanksgiving, and Ty had never mentioned the fact that he knew she'd been to my room on that evening. His letters came every week as usual, and were filled with plans for our future. After the first letter he'd written to me at my new address, he never again asked me to return to his mother's house to live. He never failed to ask about my friends and what I did with my free time. But I never did tell him that I went out with Papa every Thursday night. He was the last person I could trust to keep our little secret from his mother.

Shortly after the holidays were over, when it was nearing time for Ty to be discharged, his letters seemed to change. He spoke oftener of his mother, and how nice it would be if we were all on speaking terms. He began to urge me to quit my job, since he knew that I could live quite easily on the monthly check I received. And several times he mentioned a fellow in his outfit that came from Bartstown. The guy had a sister who still lived here and Ty urged me to call the girl and get acquainted with her. Her name, according to Ty, was Mary Phillips. He actually seemed angry when he wrote that Mary's brother had gotten a letter and she said she still hadn't heard from me.

Ty's letters came further apart during February, and the first two weeks in March I received none. I began to wonder why and asked Papa, who replied in a surprised tone that Ty was back in the States and would be in Bartstown in another week.

"I wonder why he didn't tell me?" I asked, bewildered.

"Possibly he wanted to surprise you, Elise."

"Not very likely," I said. "He probably wanted to sneak in and try to catch me doing something wrong."

I put on the coat I'd gotten myself for Christmas, and Papa and I went out.

"Where shall we go tonight?" he asked. "Feel like a show?"

"Not tonight, Papa. Let's really go out tonight."

"Where?"

"The Arcadia Lounge."

"The what?" he almost yelled. His face was covered with complete surprise.

"The Arcadia," I repeated. "Let's go out and get drunk."

"But what about your--"

"My friend, as you call her, will not be there. This is Thursday. And the drinks are cheaper when there's no band. I'll pay half."

"I don't mind about the money. But do you think we should?"

"Scared of Mother?" I teased.

For just a moment, his back stiffened. But when he glanced at me and saw that I was grinning, his eyes began to twinkle. He drew himself up to his full height, straightened the faded grey hat, and offered me his arm.

"The Arcadia Lounge," he told the cabbie that came for us.

When we walked into the Arcadia, Pat glanced up from the drink she was mixing, then went back to her work. Suddenly she jerked her head back up and gave me a long look that seemed to ask what I was doing there. She nodded her head toward the rear of the room, and I looked to see what she was trying to tell me. It took only a glance. Eddie was sitting at a table with Jeff. I steered Papa into a corner by the bandstand and we sat down, but not before Eddie had seen me. She looked startled.

As soon as we were seated, I told Papa that she was there.

"I swear I didn't know it, Papa. And I'd like to go somewhere else, if it's all right with you."

"We'll have one drink first, Elise." His voice was calm, as though he'd known it all along. "She very likely didn't see you."

"She saw me. But she won't say anything to me, unless I speak first. I just feel uncomfortable."

"You worry too much, Elise."

He motioned for Pat to come over, and she took our orders. She returned with the drinks, and I introduced her to Papa. Pat seemed charmed by Papa, but I knew it was the same old act she always gave the men to get them to buy more drinks. It was part of her job.

"Nice girl," Papa said after she'd gone.

"Good actress, Papa. That's all. She gives all the new male customers the same line. They keep spending too, which is the whole idea."

"She sure seemed sweet." He shook his head.

I could see that it was hard for him to believe that her friendliness could be phony.

When we finished our drinks Pat returned to the table. "Would you like anything else?" she asked.

I shook my head, but Papa ordered another drink for each of us.

"This time, double the gin," he said.

"Papa!" I almost shouted. "Papa you shouldn't. You can't go home drunk. Mother will--"

"The hell I can't!" he protested. "You watch me. By damn it, I'm going to enjoy myself tonight. Mama can go fly an airplane. We won't get to do this again for a long time if Tyson comes in next week."

The change in Papa was so great that I hardly knew what to say. I'd never seen him take more than one drink, nor had he ever cussed in my presence. He winked at me, then went over to the juke box and put some money in it. After selecting several numbers, he came back to the table and finished his drink in one gulp. After ordering two more, he took my hand and led me to the dance floor.

Jeff glared at me, and Eddie looked confused as I danced with Papa. When the song ended, I returned to our table, but Papa stopped to talk to Eddie. Before long he returned to the table and sat down, grinning slyly. I watched him, puzzled at his strange behaviour. At last he spoke to me.

"I've invited Mrs. Wallace and her escort to sit with us."

"You did what?" I screeched. Everyone at the bar turned to look at me. I dropped my eyes and stared into my drink. "Why did you do that?"

"You wanted me to," he replied. "Not that you'd admit it."

"I didn't, Papa. I wanted to leave."

"Because you didn't want to be around her if you couldn't talk to her?" he asked. "Well, I like it here, and I like her. She's very nice, one of the friendliest people I've met in years."

I couldn't protest further, because Eddie and Jeff were walking down the ramp in front of the band stand. They came to our table, and though Eddie was smiling, there was suspicion in her eyes. Jeff looked both angry and bewildered, for I was sure Eddie had told him who Papa was.

"Everything will work out, Elise. Enjoy yourself." Papa patted my hand gently, then rose as Eddie sat down next to me.

Papa dominated the conversation from the first, by asking questions about music and musicians.

Soon Jeff seemed to forget that he didn't like me and concentrated on teaching Papa about the entertainment business instead. Eddie and I talked very little, but I was all too conscious of her sitting next to me. Occasionally, when I shifted in my seat or crossed my legs, I would brush against her, and a shock would go through my entire body.

By three, Papa was pretty high, and I was feeling good too. We were all laughing and talking by then. Papa, in spite of his quietness, could be an awful lot of fun. Suddenly Eddie grew quiet.

Her eyes were on the door and then they were following someone up the aisle toward our table. I turned to see who was standing directly behind me.

"You stinking bitch!" Ty shouted. "So this is how the perfect wife behaves!" He jerked me from the chair, and as I bumped the table, some of the glasses toppled over. Papa jumped up and grabbed his arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Tyson?"

Ty released my arm and turned to stare at his father. Then he stared at me. And then he turned and left the Arcadia, noisier, and much quicker than he had entered it.

"We'd better go, Papa," I suggested. "Yes, I suppose so. Mama will be sore as the devil now."

"I'll give you a lift home, if you like," Eddie offered.

"Now that's real nice of you, Edna," Papa said.

He got his hat and coat and helped me into mine. Then the four of us went out to Eddie's car. Jeff held the back door open for us, making it plain that he didn't intend to let me get close to Eddie.

I asked Eddie to take me home first, and Papa agreed, since it was closer. After she'd pulled up in front of the house where I lived, she waited until I was inside before she pulled away from the curb.

All the fears that I'd had about Ty going to his mother's house to tell her where Papa had been that night were without reason. For I'd no sooner opened the door to my room than he called to me from the outside door as he entered the building.

I waited until he'd entered the room, then followed him in and locked the door behind me. He had an angry expression on his face. Yet it seemed not to be so much anger as self pity. He had the same expression I've seen on little boys who were mad at their parents because they had been denied some special treat for being naughty. I took off my coat and hung it up before I spoke to him.

"Welcome home," I said sarcastically. "You certainly surprised me. Is that what you intended to do?"

"I did," he said. "But the surprise was on me."

"Really? How do you mean?"

"I thought I'd find you here. You wrote that you seldom go out."

"So when you didn't find me here or at work, you thought the worst and looked for me at the Arcadia, where you found me."

"With your girl friend," he added. His voice was flat, and the hurt look deepened.

"With your father," I corrected. "We've been doing it for several months. Every Thursday night. That's the club your mother probably wrote and told you about."

"Why all the secrecy, then?" he whined. "There wouldn't be any harm in Dad taking you out."

"There would be in your mother's mind, Ty. I'd be a terrible influence on him, just as I am on you. Corrupting little devil, aren't I?" I smiled to myself.

"Well, you could have told me, couldn't you?"

To answer, I merely shook my head, and Ty looked even more bewildered.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you'd have told Mother, and she'd have stopped us. Or at least Papa. Like I said, she thinks I'm the worst person in the world. Satan's daughter."

"Well, what were you guys doing with that Eddie character, anyway? You didn't have to be at her table, did you?"

"I was with Papa," I reminded him. "It was our table. Eddie and Jeff, her date, joined us after we'd been there about an hour. Papa had a wonderful time learning about the world of music, and I had a good time just listening. Any more questions?"

"One. What was she doing here Thanksgiving?"

"Murder!" I slapped my forehead with the palm of my hand. "She was bringing me home. She invited me to dinner and I accepted. We ate, drank and watched T.V."

"You cried when she left."

"So? I was crying. Can't I cry if I want to?"

"You don't cry easy. Something she did upset you."

"Crap! I'm a freak! A nut!" I screamed at him. "I'm a damned idiot, that's for sure, or I wouldn't even waste my breath trying to talk to you."

I began jerking off my clothes and throwing them on the dresser. Ty was sitting in the rocker. He watched me undress, but made no move to take off his own clothes.

"I assumed that you had planned to stay here tonight, since I'm your wife. Are you sleeping in your clothes?"

"I called Mom. She wants us to stay over there tonight."

"She wants you to stay over there," I corrected him. "This is where I live, and where you'll stay until we can find an apartment. That is if you want a wife. But you'd better decide soon whether your mother is more important, because I'm sick of being starved to the breaking point for love. If you can't give it to me, there's not much point in our being married."

He looked only mildly surprised at my little speech. I walked around the room naked, putting my clothes away and straightening up in general. Then I crawled into the bed. I leaned on one elbow as I finished the cigarette I was smoking. "When you decide what you're going to do tonight, turn out the light," I told him.

I turned my back to him and drew the covers up around my chin. A few minutes later the light snapped out, and there was nothing but silence and darkness. Then I heard Ty walking quietly.

The door opened softly, and for a few seconds light sifted into the room from the hallway. Then the door closed and the lock clicked. Ty walked slowly down the hall, and at last his footsteps faded out of hearing as he headed home to his mother.

* * *

The next day started out like any other Friday would. I got up and went to the Cafe where I found Moms giving orders to Sammy, the cook. Then Moms and I had our usual cup of coffee together while we gossiped about the business. At 8:30 she unlocked the door j to our first customer, Old Benny, who never failed to be there for his morning coffee.

The second customer came in shortly after Benny had gone. Moms was in the kitchen, arguing with Sammy about how much meat to cook for the stew, and I was standing behind the counter, laughing. I looked up to see Mother Harris walking toward the counter.

"Good morning, Mother," I said. "Can I help you?"

"Don't be so smug, you little slut. And don't 'good morning' me!"

"Sorry, but courtesy is a required part of my work."

"What have you been doing to my husband?" she shouted. "And to my son? What have you been doing to them?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean," I said softly as I wiped absently at the counter top.

"You know what I mean. Papa came home drunk. Then Ty came in, crying because you said you were going to divorce him. He said you and Papa had been out with that woman you've been carrying on with."

"So? Papa and I went out. And we ran into Eddie and her boy friend. They joined us for a few drinks. What's so terrible about that? We didn't go to my room, or hide in the car. We were right out in public where anyone that cared to could see us."

"First you shame my son. Then you try to seduce your husband's father. And there's nothing wrong with that?" she shrieked.

By now, Moms and Sammy had both come out of the kitchen to see what the trouble was. They heard enough of the quarrel to know that it was a personal problem so they returned to the kitchen to resume their quarrel over the stew.

"I'm not denying that I embarrassed Ty, Mother. But that part about Papa is completely untrue and you know it." I was getting angry and it showed.

She smiled coldly. "Is it? Then why should you try to hide it? Why did you slip out at night with him, and have him lie to me about where he was?"

"Because you're such a nasty minded old bitch that you'd have made a love affair out of it. That poor man hasn't had a single hour of freedom in the two years I've known him. He needed to get away from you with your nagging and bitching!

"And if he'd made a pass at me, or at some other woman, why in the hell you'd care, I'll never know. I'll bet he's never had a decent piece from you! I'm surprised you've still got a husband."

She jumped up from the stool she'd been sitting on and screamed: "You filthy little bitch! I don't know why Ty ever married you in the first place. You stay away from my husband. You hear me?"

"Yes ma'am," I smiled at her. My anger at her was replaced by amusement at the wild eyed woman who was threatening to hit me with her purse. "Anything to please a customer. Only what if he wants to come and visit with Ty?"

"Ty won't have anything to do with him now."

"Do you think Ty would believe that his father would try to make his own daughter-in-law? He's less than an excuse for a man if he does."

At this she turned and stomped out of the cafe, banging the door loudly behind her.

"What the devil was all that for?" asked Moms as she came in from the kitchen.

"My mother-in-law has a nasty temper, with a mind to match," I explained.

"I see," Moms said. "The old bitch! Does she really believe all that stuff about you trying to make her husband?"

"If I know her, she believes that and a lot more. She's probably convinced that I've already had him."

Moms shook her head as she put on her coat.

"If anything happens, call me. I'll be home all day."

I nodded as she went out the door and resumed my duties, getting ready for the noon crowd from the factory down the street.

With all the work I had to do, the day passed swiftly.' When Lola came in to relieve me, we gossiped for a few minutes and I left. I went home and found Ty standing in front of my door, waiting for me. He smiled as I walked toward him.

"Hi, honey. Can your husband come in and talk to you for awhile?"

I shrugged my shoulders indifferently as I fitted the key in the lock.

Ty followed me inside the room and seated himself in 'the rocker while I locked the door and took off my coat. He waited until I'd hung the coat up before he said anything to me.

"Mom said she came to see you today."

"Did she tell you what she came to talk to me a-bout?" I asked as I kicked off my shoes and lit a cigarette.

"She said something about you and Dad, but she was so upset that I didn't ever get straight on just what was wrong with the two of you. Care to tell me about it?"

"I wouldn't mind, if it weren't for the fact that it's so silly it makes me want to puke."

"Tell me anyway. It must be something or Mom wouldn't be so wild about it."

"Your mother thinks I've been having sex with your dad. She thinks that Papa and I are lovers."

"Are you?"

He said it so calmly that it startled me. There was a quiet indifference in his voice that was really surprising.

"I don't especially care what you think of me, Ty," I said, "but do you think that of your father? Do you believe that your dad could have me? or if he could, do you think he would?"

"No." He smiled and his eyes softened. "No, I don't believe that of Dad. Or you either, Elise. You might have had a dozen guys while I was gone. But not my dad."

"Well, your mother believes it. The way she acted this morning could have cost me my job. It's a good thing my boss likes me."

"Mom didn't mean anything. And all that stuff she said was just because she isn't used to being fooled. You were pretty slick about it you know. She doesn't believe a word of it. She was mad."

"She wasn't the only one," I told him. "For a few minutes, she had me wishing I wasn't on duty, so I could hit her."

"Come here," Ty said softly, abruptly changing the subject.

I sat quietly on the bed and smoked, ignoring his request.

"Come here, woman," he repeated. When I ignored him the second time, he got up and walked over to me.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Don't you want to be bothered with me?"

"Last night you went home to your mother. I figure it's the other way around. You don't want '.to be bothered. Why change it?"

"Elise, honey. You know I love you."

He took the cigarette from me and crushed it out in the ashtray. Then he sat down on the side of the bed and put his arm around me. When he kissed me, I felt nothing. After all the months he'd been gone, I was certain there should be some kind of thrill, but it just wasn't there.

Slowly and dramatically he removed my blouse and skirt. He unfastened the bra and slipped it off, and began kissing my shoulders and breasts. Then he pulled off the rest of my clothes and laid me back on the bed. He removed his coat and shirt, then stretched out beside me.

Slowly and deliberately now he kissed my breasts. He bit the nipples gently as his hand caressed my stomach. Then his lips moved down to my navel and he began to suck gently. I could feel my blood begin to race through my veins. He moved his head slowly until his lips were on my thigh, kissing and biting gently. His fingers massaged my flesh and I began to move slowly and deliberately. He was by now excited himself, and he worked more demandingly as his hands and lips wandered over my body. I locked my fingers in his hair and pulled at it gently. He pulled himself up beside me and kissed my lips. I returned the embrace eagerly, but it seemed that he was holding himself back.

"Ty?" I whispered huskily. "Take off your clothes."

He slipped out of his trousers without getting up or even moving away from me. He continued kissing me until my whole body was screaming for relief. I rolled closer to him, and was aware of the fact that he was not as excited as he seemed to be.

"Don't you want me, Ty?" I asked looking up at him. His eyes were closed and he lowered his head and searched for my lips. I pulled away from him and repeated the question.

"Of course I do, baby. You know that without asking."

"Then take me. Now, Ty. Please."

"Not yet, 'Lise."

He kissed me again, roughly. Then he bit my shoulder and I cried out with pain.

"Ty, don't! That hurts!" He laughed, or rather chuckled.

Then he released me and reached down to where he had dropped his pants. When he brought his hand back into view, it held his belt. I stared at it, then looked at him. His eyes gleamed, and his lips were curled into a cruel smile. He got to his feet and raised the belt.

I still didn't realize what he was going to do until I felt the sharp sting of the belt as it cracked against my bare skin. Four times the belt stung my flesh before I managed to get the covers over my body. And then Ty grabbed the blanket and pulled it away from me and continued to hit me with the belt, his eyes growing wilder each time the sound of leather cracked on my naked skin.

"Ty, stop! Are you crazy?" I screamed. "Please stop." I pleaded with him, and the more I begged him to stop, the harder he hit me: At last he stopped, flinging the belt to the floor. But if I thought he was finished with me, my relief was short-lived, for as soon as he had laid down beside me, he began to bite and scratch my back and shoulders. Then his mouth found my breast and he sucked and bit it until I began to cry again.

"Oh, God. Ty, for heaven's sake. Stop!"

I pushed his head away and he grabbed my hand and twisted it until he had it under my back.

"Ty, please! What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, baby. Not a thing."

"Then stop. Please stop," I sobbed.

"That's it, baby. Beg. Beg me to stop. I like that."

"Ty, please!"

I moaned as his sharp teeth cut into my flesh. He chuckled, and I bit my lips until I tasted blood.

Finally he stopped to look at the bruises he'd left on me. He smiled, apparently satisfied with his work. It was then that he began to put on his clothes. I watched him, bewilderedly, as he left the room, calling over his shoulder that he would be over after I got off work the next evening.

I tried to get up, but my body ached, and I finally pulled the covers over me and fell asleep. I woke up once. Someone was pounding on my door. I'm not sure that I called to see who it was, before I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke, it was daylight, and the clock on the dresser said that it was 7:30. Wearily I dragged myself out of bed and began to get ready for work.

CHAPTER TEN

Ty gave me an entire week to think about what had happened the night he came to my room. He didn't call me, nor did he come to the cafe or to where I lived.

Then, exactly one week later, I came home from work to find him lounging against my door. Beside him, on the floor, were several large boxes. I didn't speak to him, and he said nothing until we were inside the room.

"Close the door, 'Lise. I won't hurt you."

I looked at him a long moment before I pushed the door shut. "Come here," he said.

I didn't move. He walked up to me and pulled me to the bed.

"Ty. Get your hands off me!" I snarled. "Take it easy, baby," he cooed. "Ty isn't going to hurt you."

"Then let me go!"

He released me and began to open the packages. As he took things from the boxes, he held them up for me to see.

He'd gotten me a complete outfit, from the skin out, except for a coat. He'd gotten only a shirt for himself. And he had bought some new sheets and dresser scarves, and a table cloth.

"We'll hunt for an apartment tomorrow, 'Lise," he said, putting the linens back in the box they'd come in.

"I have to work tomorrow," I stated coldly.

"You can quit that job now," he said. "Daddy's home to take care of you."

"Do you have a job yet, Ty?"

"No." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "But I have several in sight. All I have to do is make up my mind which one I want."

"Then I'll stay here until you make up your mind. And I intend to work at least a month after you start working."

"Baby, you don't have to work now." He walked over to me and put his arms around me. "You know, the mustering out pay is pretty good. Five hundred dollars good."

"How much do you have left, Ty?"

"About $400. Why?"

"Let's see it." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a twenty and some change and dropped it on the bed."

"This is all I have right now. Mom's keeping the rest for us until we decide what we're going to do."

"I've decided what I'm going to do," I told him. "You're the undecided one. Why didn't you open a savings account instead of depending on your mother?"

"Well, she suggested it. Besides, if we move back there--"

"I'm not moving back there."

"Let me finish, 'Lise. If we moved back to Mom's, she could keep the money for room and board. At twenty a week, we won't have to worry for about a year. It's a nice deal."

"For you. I've told you a million times, I'm not going."

"You think about it, 'Lise," he said. "You did say you wanted to make our marriage work, didn't you?"

"I did. But if I have to move back there to prove it, you can file for a divorce now. I'll die and go to hell first."

I sank into the rocker and lit a cigarette. Ty watched me for a few moments, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, baby. If you say no, it's no. I'll look for a place tomorrow. That suit you? And I'll take the money to the bank."

I stared at him for a few minutes before I nodded. He smiled and walked over to the chair and pulled me to my feet.

He slipped his arms under the coat that I was still wearing and held me tight as he kissed me. His lips were soft as he pressed them on mine, but they grew hard and demanding as he pressed my body to him. He kissed my cheeks and murmured my name as he pressed his lips to my hair.

"Baby. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry about last week. I was mad and hurt. I guess I really did believe that you were with that woman. Dad told me the truth, and I was too ashamed to come back. But I'm sorry. It won't ever happen again."

He slipped the coat off and let it fall on the chair, and I didn't try to stop him when he began to undress me. When he had taken off all my clothes, he picked me up and carried me the few steps to the bed and lowered me onto it. Then he removed his own clothes. He lay down beside me and began to caress my body.

"You're all mine, aren't you, 'Lise? All this ass is mine?" he asked as he kissed my breasts.

He began to suck gently, and I stroked his hair as I pressed his face closer. He worked his head down slowly until he was biting gently on my stomach. Then he began to suck on my navel, and once again the blood began to race through my veins. I massaged his bare shoulders gently, and he moved his head down slowly until he was kissing and biting my thighs.

Suddenly he flipped me over on my stomach and began to bite the cheeks of my buttocks. I squealed, half with fear, half with delight. Ty laughed softly and continued biting me. Then he turned me back over. He rubbed his face against me, and started kissing me again, working his way up my stomach to my breasts, then to my neck and lips.

As he kissed me, he worked his tongue into my mouth. I locked my hands behind his head and pulled him closer to me. My breath came in short gasps, and my blood was on fire. Ty rubbed my belly with his hand, then ran his fingers along the inside of my thigh. I twisted and moaned as I pulled my mouth away from his.

"Ty, please," I pleaded. "Don't do this to me. Please."

He laughed softly but didn't say a word as his fingers thrilled me in a way that he had never done before.

When I thought I could stand no more, he moved his head back down and began to kiss my stomach. His fingers never stopped moving. Then he moved down again, and as his lips and tongue massaged gently, my body heaved with passion. At last, when I could stand no more, I grabbed his hair with both my hands and pulled his face closer to me. He sensed my passion and worked harder. I moaned as my whole body screamed for relief. And then came the wonderful bursting inside me that gave me complete release of my emotions and tensions.

Ty pulled himself up beside me and held me in his arms. He made no move to satisfy himself.

"Ty?" I said softly. "Don't you want some?"

"I got what I wanted, baby. I feel damn good now."

"But Ty. Don't you want to--"

"No, sweet. I want to get some supper, then some sleep."

He held me for a few minutes, then got up and pulled me to my feet.

"Come on, honey," he said. "Let's go get some food. I'm starved." He began to dress, and I did the same.

I took my time, and he helped me fasten my bra, but he didn't get excited the way he used to when he helped me dress, or when he saw me naked. I sat in the chair trying to figure it out while he was in the bathroom washing up. When he returned, he winked at me. After helping me into my coat, he laughed as he patted the front of my skirt.

"I'm ready to eat," he said, "--some food."

* * *

If I was somewhat puzzled by Ty's odd behaviour on the first two visits to my room, then I was certainly bewildered at his actions by the time I decided to take an apartment in a house owned by Moms. He never visited his mother once during those three weeks. Not even to get the money she had kept for him. He'd phoned her and told her to bring it to me. She'd done so, although reluctantly.

Ty looked for work part of the time, and the rest of the day while I was at work, he spent looking for a place for us to live. He couldn't seem to find anything that he thought I would like, though I had told him anything would do.

Sometimes he would make love to me as Eddie had, and seemed to be completely satisfied with just that and no more. Then, on other nights, he was the same Ty that I had married. He would rush to satisfy himself with no thought about whether I was satisfied or not. And once he had relieved himself by beating me with his belt, then biting me until my whole body was bruised and I ached so badly that it was all I could do to turn over in bed.

That happened the first night we spent in our apartment. I cried myself to sleep that night. Ty became angry at me for crying and slammed out of the house. He didn't return until after I had gone to work the next day. When I got home, he had supper fixed for me. He helped me out of my coat, then began undressing me. I pushed him away and refastened the skirt I was wearing.

"Keep your hands off me, Ty," I told him. "You told me that would never happen again. But it did and it probably will again and again, until you kill me or put me in the hospital."

"Baby. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened to me. Here. See what I brought you? Try it on."

I looked at the black nylon negligee, then at Ty. His eyes were begging for forgiveness, and the gift was a peace offering. Slowly, I undressed. I put on the negligee and turned, modeling it, so that he could see it all. He smiled, pleased that his gift looked nice on me. He took me in his arms and kissed me gently. Then he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom.

He" slipped off the negligee and my shoes and stockings and laid me across the bed. His hands began to wander over me, and I could feel his fingers burning against my flesh. Slowly and gently he worked until my body was on fire. His lips trailed kisses across my breasts and stomach. His lips sucked my naked flesh. I moaned and twisted, begging for the ecstasy that I knew would be mine before long.

It seemed an endless length of time before he carried me to the heights of desire and dropped me into that white hot pit of passion, which brought me complete relief.

I took a deep breath and sighed as he stood up and looked down at me. He smiled quietly, then pulled me to my feet and helped me into the negligee.

"Let's eat," he said. "Supper's probably cold by now."

* * *

"Black coffee, please." I looked up from the glass that I was drying when I heard Papa's voice.

"Hello, Papa," I greeted. "How've you been?"

He smiled wearily as he replied that he was fine.

"I'm sorry that I haven't been around to see you and Tyson yet, Elise," he said, "but Mama is just beginning to act normally and I didn't want to upset her all over again."

"I understand, Papa."

I set the coffee on the counter and went to wait on another customer. The three months that Ty had been home had certainly gone fast. It didn't seem three months since I'd seen Papa.

"How's Mother?" I asked, not really interested.

"She's well. A bit angry at you for keeping Tyson away from her though." He smiled, seeming to be amused at Mother's anger.

"Didn't Ty come over last week?" I asked, puzzled.

"No. He's only been over once since he came to stay with you. That was the day you moved your furniture from the garage."

"Oh."

I turned so that Papa wouldn't see the flush of anger on my cheeks. It left quickly and we talked of little unimportant things. I told him that Ty hadn't found a job yet.

"I'm sure he will soon, though, Papa," I added.

"But he should've found something by now, Elise. He's been home quite awhile. Good thing you're working." He said something else, but it was too soft for me to hear it. And then he rose to leave.

"Come back soon, Papa. And let me know if Mother ever forgives me. I'll come over to see you."

He laughed and waved to me as he went out the open door.

The rest of the day went quickly, and soon it was time to go. I walked home, enjoying the warm weather that announced the long awaited arrival of a late spring.

I let myself into the apartment and found it empty, as it had been quite often lately. But, as always, Ty came in shortly afterward and began helping me with dinner. He talked very little, and he didn't bother to kiss me. These things were becoming almost habit.

"Did you find work, Ty?" I asked.

"No. Not yet. But I will." I looked up from the lettuce that I was cutting.

"Did you look for a job?"

"You damn right I did," he said. "I just can't find anything that I can do. Or else some sonofabitch just got himself hired before I get there."

"You worked before you went into service. What did you do?"

"Hell, I did some of everything except pimp. What is this anyway? This third degree bit and all?"

"You've had time to find a job, Ty. And must you cuss so much lately?"

"You don't believe I've been looking for a job?" He eyed me as he spoke.

"Sure. Sure I do. Just as much as I believe that you have been going to see your mother every week."

"I have been going to see Mom."

"And I've been chopping down trees in my spare time. Ty, you haven't been over there since you moved our furniture."

"That's a goddamn lie, and you know it."

"Do I? Is the fact that Mother still hates my guts a lie too? You said she'd forgotten our differences a long time ago. How in the hell do you know? You haven't seen her for more than two months."

"Then where in the hell do you think I've been spending the nights that I was supposed to be at Mom's? With some goddamn whore?"

"I'm asking you that, Ty. Where have you been going two or three nights a week?"

"I told you. Mom's house. You could have gone with me if you wanted to. I asked you."

"You knew I'd refuse, too. That's probably why you asked me."

Ty's face had a hurt look, and for a minute I almost believed I had accused him wrongly. But as I waited silently for an explanation, he became angry. Then I knew for sure that Papa had told me the truth.

I looked at him and tried to be patient as I explained how I felt. "Ty, marriage is supposed to be a partnership. And in case you don't know it, you aren't holding up your end. I expected to be able to quit working a month ago. But one of us has to have an income."

"I've been looking for a job, damnit. I just can't find any."

"You'll have to look harder, Ty. Because I'm going to quit."

"You too damn good to work until I can find something? There's nothing wrong with a wife helping her husband."

"There's nothing wrong with a wife supporting the man she married, either. But that's if he's disabled. And the only disability you have is mental."

"Look, bitch," he yelled, "let me tell you something. I'll get a job when I'm damn good and ready to go to work. And goddamnit, you or nobody else will tell me when I'm ready. Or any damn thing else. Do you understand me?"

He threw the silver he was holding on the table and stomped into the bedroom. I went on preparing the salad. He came back into the kitchen a few minutes later and threw his bankbook on the table, saying, "I suppose you've already looked at this."

I nodded.

"Then give me a couple dollars until I can get a job. I'll need it for bus fare."

"Sorry, Ty. I had to pay the rent yesterday. I don't have it."

"How the hell do you expect me to find a job? I can't walk everywhere?"

"You spent three hundred and ninety-one dollars in three months. Now tell me it was all for bus fare."

"I spent a lot of it on you."

"About fifty dollars," I reminded him. "Where's the rest of it? You haven't paid a nickel out of it for food or rent. Go get two dollars for the bus from whoever you spent the bank roll on."

"I didn't spend it on anybody. I just spent it."

"I see. Well, you'll have to find some kind of a job. I'm not supporting the both of us any longer."

"Give me a couple bucks, Elise."

I shook my head. He turned and went back into the bedroom. I followed a moment later and found him rifling through my billfold.

"Find anything interesting, Ty?" I asked.

"Where's the money? You had some this morning."

"Isn't it lucky for me that I decided to spend it?" I smiled as I turned to walk back into the kitchen.

He cursed me and ran toward me. I turned swiftly and the knife I was holding slashed his arm. He yelped, more with surprise than pain, for I'd barely broken the skin.

"You stinking, dirty bitch."

He swung at me, and the second time the knife cut into his arm, it was no accident. He stood for a few minutes looking at the blood that dripped from his arm. Then he ran into the bathroom. I heard the water running. He returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, his arm wrapped in a towel. I sat on a chair and sipped my coffee calmly, the knife lying in my lap.

"When I come back, you'd better not be here, bitch."

His face was dark and angry, but there was fear in his eyes. I smiled.

"I'll be here. But you aren't coming back until you get a job." He glared at me, then turned on his heel and left. I ate supper and cleaned up the kitchen.

Ty still hadn't returned by the time I'd straightened up the house, and I began packing his clothes. As I reached into one of his bureau drawers, my hand fell on something hard and cold. I pulled it out and looked at it. I didn't know a thing about guns, except whether or not it was loaded. This one was. I left the packing half finished and went into the kitchen. After pouring myself a cup of coffee, I went back into the living room and sat down in a chair.

It was shortly after dark when I heard Ty's key in the lock. I pointed the gun toward the door and sat there. The door came open and a few seconds later the overhead light snapped on. Ty stared in disbelief. He started toward me.

"I thought I told you to be out of here when I got back."

"And I told you not to come back, Ty." I raised the gun a little and he saw it for the first time.

"Where did you get that?" he gasped.

"I found it. And I'll use it. I'm not very good, but with a little luck, one of the bullets might hit you."

He began to back toward the door, stumbling. He almost fell, but fear kept him on his feet. In a few seconds he was gone, leaving the door standing wide open. I got up and watched him run down the hall.

I stayed up the rest of the night, but he didn't come back. I finished packing his things and set the bags outside the door. They were still there the next morning.

I called Moms and told her that I needed a couple of hours off. Then I called a locksmith to come change the lock.

I went to work just before the noon rush, and when I got home from the cafe that evening, Ty's bags were gone. He'd left the key he'd had for the old lock lying in the spot where his bags had been.

* * *

I'd almost finished eating supper when I was interrupted by a knock on my door. I went to answer it and found Mother Harris standing in the hall. I smiled, but I'm sure she knew it was an act of courtesy, not friendliness.

"Come in, Mother. What can I do for you?"

"Ty came home this morning with his clothes," she stated, glaring at me.

"Did you expect him to go somewhere else?" I asked, lighting a cigarette.

She narrowed her eyes as she walked over to the chair in which I had seated myself.

"What right did you have to put him out?" she asked.

"That, dear lady, is my own business."

"Ty said you've been seeing your girlfriend again."

"If I am, that's my business too."

"He wants a divorce. He sent me to tell you to go ahead and file for it. He'll sign the papers for you."

"He'll pay for it too. If he wants it. I'm not really too particular about the whole thing."

"He doesn't have the money. I gave it to you."

"He didn't tell you that he put it in the bank in his name? Or that he spent it? Didn't he even bother to tell you the real reason that I put him out? No, I guess he wouldn't." I took a long drag from the cigarette. "Matter of fact, I don't believe I'd have told you either, if you were my mother. But since you're not, I'll tell you for him. Ty refused to get a job, and he spent all the money he had in the bank. Then he wanted to take the rent money and spend it too. I refused to give it to him, and he tried to grab me. That's when I cut him."

I could tell she didn't believe me, but I continued anyway.

"Check with the bank and see who signed the slips to draw the money out. Check with my bank too, and see if I've made a single deposit since he came home. I haven't been able to, because I've had to pay the rent and all the rest of the bills. You can check that too, if you like. And look in my closet and see if I've got enough new clothes to account for the three-fifty he threw away. Then go ask your goddamn angel if he'd like to tell you what he did with his money, and his time. According to what he's told me, he's been going to your house every week."

"Lies!" she screeched. "Just lies. You can't tell the truth, can you?"

"Don't shout. Ask your son for the truth. Ask him why he had a gun. The one I chased him out of here with last night. And ask him if he told me all the things I'm telling you."

"I don't have to ask him. I know who's lying."

"Then why ask me? But I'm willing to bet that the next time he leaves your house, if you follow him, you'll find the woman he's been spending his time and money on."

"You're a liar! A lousy stinking liar!" she hissed, raising her purse to hit me.

I ducked out of the way and she half fell across the chair I'd been sitting in. I grabbed her wrist and jerked her to her feet.

"Find out if I'm lying. If you aren't afraid to. Do as you damn well please. But get out of here! And don't ever come back. Not even to say you're sorry."

I dragged her toward the door, and her strength, though it was no match for mine, surprised me. I gave her a little push and she stumbled. She stayed on her feet, though. And even as I closed the door in her face, she began banging on it, cussing me at the same time. I went back into the kitchen and cleaned up the dishes. By the time I'd finished, she was gone.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It had been several days since Mother visited me, and I'd heard nothing from Ty. I went to work as usual, and things seemed to be quite calm, on the surface at least. That's why I was surprised the day Papa came into the cafe. I fixed the hamburger he ordered, and when I set his coffee in front of him, he placed his hand over mine and held it firmly.

"Can you sit down a minute, Elise? That's why I sat over here."

There were no other customers, and it was almost time to go, so I slipped into the seat across from him in the booth.

"Are you going to give Tyson a divorce?"

"If he wants it, Papa. I don't care too much, really."

"He says he won't pay for it."

"Then to hell with it. I could pay for it, with what I have in the bank. But I can use the money for something else just as easily."

Papa shrugged his shoulders. Then he asked me just what had happened. I told him what I had told Mother. He nodded approvingly, then grinned and looked at me, devils dancing in his eyes.

"That isn't what Mama told me, though," he said. "She said it was because of Edna."

"That figures, since that's what Ty told her."

"It isn't true, though. Edna denied it. And Jeff told me too. They said she hasn't seen you since the night that Tyson came home. I don't suppose all three of you could tell me the same lie, and do it so innocently."

"When did you ask them these things?" I asked after my surprise had worn off.

"Last night. I went to the Arcadia and spoke to them. Just to show Mama that she was wrong."

He looked proud enough to bust the buttons off his jacket.

"Thank you, Papa. But you didn't need to do all that. I don't care that much what they think of me. As long as I know the truth I don't care if they tell everyone in town I'm a vampire."

"But Elise. It wasn't fair. I'm not saying you're always right, but it's wrong to accuse you of something you haven't done. If Tyson and you are going to make your marriage work, you both have to take the blame for the wrong you do. Or credit, as the case may be."

At that moment I had to excuse myself to wait on a new customer, but I returned as soon as I could.

"What did you mean about making my marriage work?" I asked him as soon as I sat back down.

"Just that. Ty wants to know if you will let him come back."

"He sent you here to ask me?"

"He did," Papa said as he nodded. "And he wants to know if you'll accept his check from work? He found a job yesterday. It's at the Lik-Neu Laundry, and he'll come home on Friday, his first payday."

"No thanks, Papa." I shook my head. "I can't take any more."

"Elise. If you would file for a divorce, they'd ask you to try to make your marriage work. They insist on a sixty day cooling off period. Couldn't you try it for sixty days without being ordered to by a judge?"

His eyes were pleading with me. But I shook my head again.

"Elise. It would be for the best. And if it doesn't work, I promise to do anything necessary and possible to help you get a divorce."

His voice had a curious tone, but I couldn't quite figure it out. I sat for a minute without answering him. At last I spoke: "All right, Papa. Tell him to come home on Friday. With the check. I want to see it before it's cashed."

Papa rose hurriedly, said thanks and goodbye all in the same breath, and left. He didn't look as happy as he did relieved. I wondered at this, but there wasn't too much time to dwell on my own problems for I had to clean the counter and booth and get things ready for Lola to take over.

She arrived shortly after Papa had left, and I stayed to talk to her for a few minutes.

"Heard from your old man yet, Elise?"

I nodded.

"Really? Tell me about it."

Lola couldn't help being nosey. With her, it was second nature.

"He wants to come back," I said simply.

"Yeah? After what he did?" She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "You said no, of course."

"Nope. I said yes."

At this, Lola stared at me open-mouthed. "Can't you guess why?" I asked. "Uh-uh. Tell me, kid."

"Simple. I can keep tabs on him, and if he decides to show his rear end, I can get enough evidence on him to get a divorce. And support money, too, if I want it."

"Yeah. Yeah. Why didn't I think of that when Bill started to act like an idiot?" she asked herself aloud.

"I've got to go, kid," I said. "I want to catch a show tonight."

"Okay, pal. See you tomorrow." Then to herself she mumbled. "You sure are a stupid bitch, Lola." I laughed lightly as I went outside and started the short walk home.

* * *

At times the days seemed to fly and at other times they were a week long, or so it seemed, but it was a short time before Friday.

I still hadn't heard from Ty directly, but when I got home from my own job on that evening, Ty was standing in the hall in front of our door. I didn't speak as I opened the door for him. He entered the apartment, and I followed, leaving the door open to let in any breeze that might happen to drift by. I went about the apartment opening the windows, and Ty helped me. When the windows were all raised, he spoke: "You could at least give me a kiss. I brought the check."

"Let's see it."

I was tense, but it was not fear that made me uncomfortable. I guess I had hoped unconsciously that he would change his mind about coming back to me.

"Don't I get a kiss, 'Lise?" he teased.

"Not until I get the check."

He looked into my eyes, then dug out his billfold. He unfolded the check and handed it to me. I looked it over carefully, then returned it.

"Don't you want to cash it, honey? I'll only need a couple bucks for meals. I can walk to work."

"You cash it. And you can pay the grocery bill this week. The rest, or most of it can go in the bank," I said as I walked to a chair and sat down.

"You're going to quit your job now, aren't you?"

"I'll give Moms a two-week notice so she can find someone else for me to break in on the job."

"Okay, but that has to be a promise."

"You can ask Moms if you want to. She wouldn't lie for me."

"I'll take your word for it, baby. Now come here."

I walked to where he was standing.

"That's better," he said, his voice growing husky as his hands wandered over my body.

He pulled me close to him and kissed me long and hard. When he pulled away a little, his eyes were glassy, and his breath came in short gasps. He walked away from me and went to close the door. Then he came back to me, picked me up, and carried me into the bedroom.

His hands worked swiftly as he undressed me. In very short order we were both lying on the bed completely nude.

"You sure look good to me, baby," he mumbled.

He kissed my breasts. His hands wandered over my body, and he caressed me with his lips. He worked slowly, teasing me with his lips and fingers until my body was burning with passion. I dug my nails into the flesh on his back and he seemed to go wild.

He bit me and dug his fingers into my body until I wanted to cry out. The fire in my blood died as his teeth tore at my flesh. I cried for him to stop but he didn't seem to hear me. When he finally stopped, I lay still, afraid to move, knowing that when he moved to get off the bed it would be only long enough to get his belt. Not nearly long enough for me to reach the gun that lay in the bureau drawer.

But Ty just stood there, looking at me. Then, suddenly he grabbed my legs, spread them and pulled me to the edge of the bed. Then he fell on his knees and buried his face against me. Again the fire rose in my blood as I twisted and moaned with passion.

Ty continued the divine torture until I almost screamed. Then, just as I thought that he would give me the release my body screamed for, he jumped to his feet and dragged me back onto the bed. He lunged at me, and I started to roll aside. But he was a little faster than I. Before I could move, he was on me. I screamed as he grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked my head back. He forced me to look into his eyes, and what I saw frightened me more than anything I'd ever seen.

"Ty, please, you're hurting me," I gasped as he tore at my body.

"Shut up, bitch! You've been teasing me for a long time. Now shut up and give me what you've been prom- His voice was barely a whisper, more a rasp; but I understood enough of his raving to know that he actually thought I was someone else. When he plunged himself into me, I just lay there crying, both with pain and with fear.

At last he fell away from me. He lay there with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. He didn't move when I rose to go get cleaned up. I don't think he even knew I had gone out of the room.

Nearly an hour later, he came into the kitchen. I looked at him. The disgust I felt must have been pretty plain.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whined. "You just about drive me crazy."

"Do I, Ty? I don't think so. You didn't even know it was me that you had in the bed."

"Baby!" he protested. "Don't say that."

He walked to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then he sat down across the table from me.

"Ty, if you don't mind too much, I'd like for you to treat me like a woman. If you can't do that, I'd at least appreciate being treated like a human being. But this brutality of yours has got to stop. There's no point in our trying to save a marriage that's nothing more than a legal way to rape me."

"Honey, I'm sorry. But I can't help it. You just drive me nuts."

I ignored his apology and began to prepare sandwiches and something cold to drink.

"Does your mother know you've come back here, Ty?" I asked.

He nodded as he bit into a sandwich. The rest of the snack we ate in silence.

Afterward, while I was straightening the kitchen, Ty left to go to his mother's to get his clothes. He didn't return by 10 o'clock, so I went to bed. I heard nothing that night to indicate that he might have come back; and he didn't come while I was eating breakfast, so I went to work. When I arrived, Moms handed me a note. It was from Ty, telling me that he'd spent the night at his mother's, arguing, and that he would be home for supper. I stuffed the paper into my pocket and began my work for the day. But after thinking it over, I decided not to give my notice for a while yet. A few more days should tell whether Ty really wanted a wife. And I wasn't so sure any more that I wanted to be one.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The last few days of June passed slowly as I waited for Ty to show me whether he really wanted me or not. He went to work, and he came home. But that was all. He went out every night, as soon as we'd finished supper. He never stayed late, and he never smelled of alcohol, but he also never told me where he was going. And although he kissed me an awful lot, he never tried again to make love to me. Nor did he mention anything pertaining to sex.

On July 3, he came home from work later than usual. I thought perhaps he had stopped for a drink. But when he wasn't home by 7 o'clock, I began to wonder where he was.

About eight-thirty he came in, his arms loaded with sacks. He dumped them all on the couch, and began sorting them. After removing one of the bags, he told me to take the rest to the kitchen.

"It's food," he explained. "And I got some drinks. I'll be out in a second to help you fix the sandwiches."

I stared at him in absolute bewilderment.

"What's all this stuff for, Ty?"

"Your birthday party, honey."

"It's tomorrow," I reminded, "not today."

"Well hell, we'll still be celebrating then. We're just going to get an early start on it."

I picked up some of the sacks and carried them into the kitchen. After putting them on the table, I went back for the test of the things he'd brought.

"Who'd you invite to the party?" I asked. "I know all of this isn't for just the two of us."

"I asked three friends of mine that you've never met, and three people that you know. We'll all have a real good time."

I knew that Ty had been drinking, but I didn't know how much until he started toward me and staggered slightly. I turned and hurried toward the kitchen. He followed me, putting his arms around me. I stood patiently while he fumbled with my zipper.

"Thanks, Ty," I said, moving his hand, "but I'll change after we get the food fixed. What time are the guests coming?"

"About ten, I think. Some of them may be later."

After we'd finished making the sandwiches, I arranged them on the tray. Then I straightened up the living room. I looked around, satisfied with its neatness. Then I went into the bedroom to change my clothes.

I pulled the door to the closet open and my eyes opened wide as I stared at a new dress. It was bright red with a detachable pearl collar, and it was simply beautiful. I let a gasp of surprise escape my lips, and Ty laughed softly from the door. I whirled toward him, and he grinned.

"Glad you like it, honey," he said proudly. "Here's the rest of your things." He picked up a box that had been hidden under the bed and handed it to me.

When I opened it I found a complete set of black underclothes, and a box of nylons. I squealed with delight, and Ty seemed pleased that I was enjoying my gifts.

"When the gang gets here, you'll be even happier. We got together on this last week and decided to get you a complete outfit." He smiled. "By the way, these friends of yours that I invited paid for the unmentionables. I got the dress."

"Thank you so much, Ty. It's beautiful. I just love it."

I picked up the box and began taking out the clothes in it. They were lacy and sheer. I smiled as I rubbed the smooth slip against my cheek.

"Ty? Who are the people that bought these?"

He just winked at me and ducked into the living room.

I dressed, putting on the new clothes, and selected a pair of white pumps to wear. When I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I was very pleased. The dress looked nice. I went into the living room, and Ty showed his appreciation of my appearance by giving me a long whistle. I laughed at him, then went back into the bedroom to put on some lipstick and give my hair a quick brushing.

When I went back into the living room, I was surprised to see that three of the guests had already arrived--the three that I didn't know. Ty introduced them.

Becky Lodge was a tall, slender redhead. She was very pretty, and very obviously a prostitute. I'd seen her at the Arcadia on one of the nights that I'd been there with Eddie. But we'd never been introduced.

Wilma Morrison was a quiet, attractive girl. She wasn't more than sixteen, and her simple skirt and blouse made her look rather plain when she stood next to Becky.

And Bobbie Phillips, the buddy from overseas. He wasn't a bad looking guy, but there was something about him that I didn't like. When he shook my hand, his own hand felt more like a wet rag than part of his anatomy. His features were delicate, rather than well formed. And his voice was whiny, like a little boy's.

I fixed drinks for everyone and we sat down to wait for the other guests.

In a short while, we heard footsteps in the hall, and the door opened before I reached it. Mary Phillips entered. She spoke to me loudly, and I knew that it was because she had been drinking before she came. In fact, Mary was drunk.

She greeted everyone in the room, and indicated that she knew Ty pretty well. But that wouldn't be unusual, since Ty knew her brother. I fixed Mary a drink. Tasting it, she protested that it wasn't strong enough, so I added another shot of the whisky. Then she took the bottle from my hands and filled her glass up. She sipped it and then smiled.

"That's much better," she announced. "For a minute there I thought you didn't want me to have it." She laughed loudly and went to sit beside Wilma on the couch.

"'Lise, get some sandwiches, will you?"

I nodded to Ty and went into the kitchen. I came back into the living room. I almost dropped the tray of snacks when I saw Eddie standing there next to Jeff.

"Well!" Ty said, walking over to me, "we're all here. Now let's get this party going."

He slipped his arm around me and began to sing Happy Birthday. I smiled as I looked at each of the people in the room. When I looked at Eddie, her eyes were guarded. She seemed to be trying to warn me about something.

After the song, while Ty was selecting records to dance by, I opened the rest of the gifts that had been deposited on the coffee table. There were pearl earrings from Becky, a black patent leather handbag from Bobbie, and a string of pearls from Wilma. Eddie, in addition to helping pay for the lingerie had brought me a pair of shoes to match the handbag.

I thanked each of them sincerely, then went into the bedroom and changed my shoes and put on the jewelry. A loud burst of applause greeted me when I returned wearing the gifts.

"Thank you all so very much," I said for the fourth time. "Everything is simply beautiful."

Then Ty caught me in his arms and we started dancing. Jeff and Eddie followed, while the rest of the crowd began to eat and fix more drinks.

By midnight, everyone had had more than enough to drink, and they were getting pretty loud. Bobbie, who'd seemed to be a quiet, timid person, was the loudest of the crowd. And some of the things he said were not just funny, but odd too. I went into the kitchen shortly after twelve to fix some more sandwiches and found Ty and Bobbie standing close together, talking. Bobbie seemed to resent my presence, and went back into the living room. Ty followed him shortly afterward, and when I returned they were engaged in some sort of argument.

"Honey," Bobbie said in a falsely high pitched voice, "honey, if you think you're getting this ass tonight, you'd better think again. Mother isn't getting up off of nothing tonight."

"Shut up, you damn fool! My old lady's here."

"Damn her. Baby, she just don't know. I'm after the same thing she is."

He placed one hand on his hip and turned his face toward the door where I was standing. Then he looked up at Ty and smiled.

"Got the sandwiches, hon?" Ty asked as he walked toward me.

He took the tray from my hands and began passing it around, while I just stood there watching Bobbie, and trying to figure out what he meant. But until I saw him smiling up at Ty like a woman in love, I didn't realize that Bobbie was what many people call a faggot.

Ty kept giving me drinks, and though I protested that I had to work the next day, I drank them. It was around two o'clock that I really began feeling the effects of the alcohol, and decided to let the party go on without me. I excused myself. Almost everyone seemed a little glad to be rid of me, even though they protested that the night was young and that I should stick around. Only Eddie seemed to be genuinely sorry that I had to turn in.

"Thanks again for the gifts, Eddie," I said. "If you're still here at seven, wake me up, will you?" I whispered loudly.

"I doubt if I'll be here, Elise. I think I'll leave soon."

"It was sweet of you to come, though," I mumbled. Then I turned and staggered toward the door to the bedroom.

I hadn't much more than undressed and lain down before the room began to swim. My stomach turned over and I moaned softly. I dragged myself up from the bed and staggered toward the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before the liquor and food came back up.

After I'd washed my face and cleaned up the mess I'd made, I went back to the bed. I lit a cigarette, and as I smoked it, I noticed the living room was very quiet. I heard no voices. And the music was softer than I'd remembered it. I crushed the cigarette out and went to the door to see if everyone had gone.

There was only one very dim light turned on, but it gave off enough light for me to see that Eddie was the only one missing. Becky, the prostitute, and Jeff were making it on the couch. Neither one had any clothes on, and they didn't seem to mind that the rest of the people in the room could watch if they cared to. I watched as Jeff moved his hips with the rhythm of the very soft music.

Then I watched Mary and Wilma who lay on the floor, locked in each others arms in a long embrace. Wilma snuggled closer to Mary and I watched as Mary's hand pulled Wilma's skirt up and slipped under it. In a few seconds, Wilma was rolling her hips as though she were trying to bury Mary's hand inside her body.

Bobbie was dancing with Ty, his body pressed close to my husband's. They didn't speak for a few minutes, and when Bobbie broke the silence, it was in his falsely feminine voice.

"Ty? What's wrong with you? Don't you want some tonight?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I want some. But I wish you'd be more careful about what you say when Elise is around."

"If she gives you hell all the time, why don't you just leave?"

"Stupid. I've got to keep up a front for my mother. She'd cut me off with nothing, and I'm counting on that house that she's got when she dies."

"Oh, I see. You've got a good brain."

"Yeah. And you've got a good ass." Ty laughed as he reached behind Bobbie and patted him on the butt.

I watched as he led Bobbie toward the couch and pulled Jeff and Becky onto the floor. The couple didn't even break the rhythm of their motions, nor did they seem to mind the very slight interruption. Then Ty and Bobbie began to undress, and I watched as Ty laid the effeminate Bobbie on the couch and climbed on top of him.

The door from the kitchen opened and I ducked back into the bedroom. But Eddie had seen me, for she followed me and before I had lain down on the bed, she was in the room walking toward me. She sat down on the side of the bed and took my hand.

"I thought you were asleep by now."

"I got sick."

"Feel better now, honey?"

"I'm not sick to my stomach any more, if that's what you mean."

"You saw how the parties end?" she asked as she nodded toward the living room.

"I saw. How long has it been going on, Eddie?"

"I don't know. I just found it out too." She avoided my eyes..

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"I don't know, Elise." She took a handkerchief from her pocket and brushed away the tears that had sprung into my eyes.

"He must have been wanting Bobbie, all those times he beat me and left me alone the rest of the night." I wasn't talking to Eddie, but she answered.

"That was when they argued." Her eyes were full of sympathy.

"I thought you'd just found out about them, Eddie."

"It's been going on since they were overseas, Elise. That's why Bobbie was discharged early. I didn't want to tell you."

"Damn them," I said. "Damn them both!"

"They couldn't help it, honey. No more than we could."

"I'm not mad because they feel the way they do. Only because I've wanted you so badly, Eddie. And I've refused to let myself come to you because I was trying to be a decent wife. And now I find that my husband doesn't want a woman at all."

I began to cry and Eddie cradled me in her arms.

"Don't, baby," she soothed. "Don't cry."

She bent her head and kissed me gently. I wrapped my arms around her neck as her kiss sent fire surging through my blood. My head began to spin as Eddie pushed her tongue into my mouth and searched for my own. As her tongue darted in and out between my teeth I took one of her hands and placed it down between my legs. Her fingers moved quickly, and before long she had me moaning with passion. I needed her love as I'd never needed it before.

"Eddie, Eddie," I said, "I love you so very much."

"Are you sure, Elise? It's been a long time. Are you sure it isn't just spite?"

"No, no, no. I don't care what Ty does. I never did love him, although I tried to. And he never did satisfy me, except when he made love to me the way you do."

"We'll have to wait and see, baby. But I'll love you tonight. That's what you want, isn't it? And that's what I want."

"Eddie, Eddie." I called her name softly as she nibbled at my breasts.

She began to kiss my stomach and I was nearly wild with passion. I wound my fingers into her hair and pushed her head down. She reached up and took both of my breasts in her hands as she buried her face in my body. I tossed my hips as I murmured her name over and over. And at last, when Eddie squeezed my breasts so hard that it hurt, she released me into ecstasy. A wild feeling possessed me. One in which heaven and hell met, and the stars in the sky burst into millions of tiny sparks. Then, the alcohol I had consumed overpowered me, and there was only blackness.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When I woke the next morning, I felt strangely wonderful. I was already late for work, and when I looked into the living room I saw that all the guests of the night before, save for Eddie, were still there, nude, and either asleep or unconscious. Ty, who should have been gone to work was asleep on the couch with Bobbie. Empty glasses were everywhere. The ashtrays were running over onto the tables, and one of my favorite candy dishes was smashed into tiny pieces. But the mess seemed unimportant, and I left hurriedly for work without even trying to wake Ty.

Moms was behind the counter. When she saw me she tried to frown, but it didn't work. Instead, she broke into a cheery grin as she removed the apron she was wearing.

"No need of me lying," she said. "I sure am glad to see you, Elise. It's too damn hot for me in here. Catch." She threw the apron to me and scurried out the door. I grinned as I watched her.

The noon rush had kept me busy and I was still cleaning up the booths at 2 o'clock. Though I was absorbed in my work and didn't see Eddie come in, I seemed to sense her presence. I looked up from my work to find her sitting on a stool watching me. I hurried toward her. She took both of my hands in hers and squeezed them.

"Just to make it look good, honey, give me a cup of black coffee."

I smiled as she released my hands and I hurried behind the counter to get her coffee. I set the cup on the counter and one for myself on a little shelf under the bar. Then I leaned across the counter and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Don't do that, honey. Not in here."

"There's no one here but the cook, Eddie, and he's in the bathroom grabbing a smoke."

"Well, honey, we have to be careful. You plan to keep this job don't you?"

I nodded.

"Then you'll have to watch your step," she advised. "These people might not like it."

"They wouldn't say anything. They're real nice."

"Never can tell." She shrugged her shoulders. "The party over yet?"

"They were all asleep when I left. I called Ty's boss for him. The man said to tell Ty to call in again tomorrow if he's still too sick to make it."

"You love the guy, don't you, Elise?"

"No. But he'll probably need the money when he moves. If he doesn't, he can quit it."

"I didn't know he was moving," Eddie said looking a little surprised.

"He doesn't either. But there's no point in our living together when he doesn't really want me and I'm in love with you now is there?"

"Are you sure this is what you want, honey? Really sure."

"I'm sure, Eddie. Please believe that."

Just then a customer came in and by the time I'd finished serving her order, Eddie was almost through with her coffee. She rose to leave.

"Eddie? Can I go with you to the Lounge tonight?"

"Would you like to, Elise?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at nine o'clock."

When she reached the door, she was directly behind the other customer. She blew me a kiss, then went on outside. I watched her until the car had pulled away from the curb and was out of sight.

When I got home from work, I was surprised to see the house looking so nice. There was nothing left to indicate that there had been a party the night before. The smell of spaghetti and meat balls came from the kitchen. And Ty's voice called to me from in there.

"Hi, baby. You're right on time."

"Thanks for cooking," I said. "I sure didn't feel like it." I walked into the kitchen and began to set the dishes out.

"Don't bother to do that, 'Lise. We'll eat in the living room."

"That's too much work, Ty."

"I'll take care of it. You just go on in and relax. I'll have it dished up and served in a jiffy."

I started to protest again, but Ty was already pushing me out of the room, so I went instead into the bedroom and removed my clothes. After slipping on my housecoat, I went back into the living room and stretched out on the couch. I'd just lit a cigarette when Ty came in carrying a tray. He set it on the coffee table and began to remove the dishes that he'd heaped with spaghetti and a salad.

"That looks delicious, Ty. Simply fabulous," I said enthusiastically as I dug into the food.

It was even better than it looked. And I dug in heartily.

Ty picked at his food. When I'd finished eating, he set his own nearly untouched plate back on the tray and carried it back to the kitchen along with my own empty dishes. He returned with a smaller tray with two glasses. I sipped my drink and looked at him, puzzled at his strange, loving behaviour.

"Isn't it a little early to start drinking, Ty?"

"Cool you off, honey." He smiled, but it looked forced. "Elise, I'm sorry about last night."

"Are you, Ty?"

"I didn't mean for it to turn out that way. The party got a little off course."

"I don't think so," I argued. "I enjoyed it a lot."

"You did?" His surprise showed, and his eyes grew wide when I nodded and announced that I'd enjoyed it so much that I was going out that evening.

"I still feel like celebrating, and since I'm off tomorrow, it won't matter how late I get to bed."

"Where the hell you going? And who with?"

"To the lounge where Eddie works. I intend to spend the whole night with her. Why?"

He jumped to his feet angrily. He walked over to the couch and pulled me to my feet. His hot breath blew against my face when he shouted, "The hell you are! You're not going anywhere!"

I pushed him away from me and sat back down on the couch.

"Ty, did you think I could leave the house this morning without seeing you and Bobbie? As far as that goes, I was watching last night, and I saw what happened after you pulled Jeff and Becky off the couch."

He looked a little surprised. Then he grew angry.

"So? You saw. Now what do you intend to do?"

"Nothing. Not as far as you're concerned."

"Nothing?" he echoed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that, Ty. You don't want me. You haven't for an awfully long time. And you knew about Eddie a long time ago. That hasn't changed. And if you want Bobbie, you're welcome to him."

"Are you going to leave me?"

"No."

"Then what do you mean, exactly?"

"You are going to leave me," I told him.

"Oh no! Hell no, I'm not!" he shouted.

"This is the best way. And the easiest for you. Leave me, and tell your mother whatever you wish. Get a divorce if you want it. And I promise you that I'll never tell your folks why we never could be man and wife."

Ty was beside me almost instantly, only he wasn't mad any more. He was practically begging me to see things differently.

"'Lise, listen," he pleaded. "Last night, and what happened, isn't the first time. I guess you know that already. I don't know why I did it in the first place. But I'm not a homo. I love you. Really. Don't make me leave. I'll stop seeing Bobbie. I'll do anything, only please. Let's try it again. Please?"

"It's no good, Ty. I've tried to be a good wife. I've even tried to love you. But it's no good. I love Eddie. And if I didn't, it would be someone just like her. People consider us freaks. Maybe we are, but I can't love you. Or any man. I love Eddie. I've been between the two of you long enough to know now that I'm not for men.

"I've made one mistake in life. One big one. I married you. Now let's be realistic and face the fact that I'm a lesbian."

"No, 'Lise. That isn't true. It can't be."

"It is. You should know that, after learning that the only way you can satisfy me is her way. And tonight I'm going with Eddie. Last night wasn't enough. I need her love, and I'm going to have it--with or without your permission."

"You can't," he said. "I won't let you."

"You can't stop me, Ty. If you try, I'll go to your mother with the story about the party."

"She wouldn't believe you."

"Would she believe Mary? Or Beckie? Or Bobbie and Wilma? And there's always Jeff and Eddie. Money talks, Ty. And I've got enough saved to prove it."

"Your Eddie might squeal, damnit. But I know the rest won't." He didn't look like he believed it, though.

"You know better, Ty," I said, playing on his doubt. "Besides, how would Bobbie take it if he were to learn that you intend to drop him for me?"

Ty looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he dropped his head. He didn't speak for a long time. But when he did, he surprised me completely.

"All right, Elise. But I'd like to make a change in your pact."

"What is it?" I asked suspiciously.

"Let me stay here with you and try to change your mind. Do anything you like. Bring Eddie here if you want to. I'll sleep on the couch when she's here. But give me that chance."

"Okay, Ty," I agreed. "But only on the condition that anytime you feel you want Bobbie, or anyone else, you'll go to him. Find out if that might not be what you really want out of life. We can all be friends. But you'll have to let me make up my own mind about Eddie."

Ty took me in his arms and kissed me, but even with his lips on mine, I thought about Eddie.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

For weeks I was completely happy. I was still working, but most of my money went into the bank, thanks to Eddie. Moms had just hired a girl to work with me. I'd given notice that I was quitting only because Eddie insisted, and Moms made it clear that I still had a job any time I needed it.

Ty was unusually quiet when we were alone, but when Eddie was in the apartment, he acted like the happiest man in the world. He only kissed me once, and that was when. Eddie was there. And he never tried to make love to me. He never once left the apartment, to my knowledge. But I had no way of knowing if he went away while I was at work.

August third was to be my last day at Moms' place, but the new girl had learned quickly, so when I went to work two days before that, I told Moms that if she didn't mind I'd pick up my pay then. She did mind, but she gave me the money, and I left after promising that I'd come in once in a while just to gossip.

I called a cab and went to Eddie's house. She was just getting up, and I fixed breakfast for us while she bathed. We didn't talk much while we ate. And after breakfast we cleaned up the kitchen together. Then we went into the living room and sat together on the couch. I snuggled into her arms and she held me close to her.

"Won't it be wonderful when we can be together like this always, darling?"

Eddie nodded and smiled at me.

When she kissed me, it was as always warm and tender and full of love. She picked me up and carried me into the bedroom.

"Take off my clothes, Eddie."

She smiled tenderly as she began to undress me. She kissed my bare skin as she took off the clothes. When I was completely naked, she removed her own things, and we lay down on the bed together.

Eddie kissed my breasts and my stomach. She ran her tongue around my navel, and the sensation made me wild, with passion. Her fingers thrilled me endlessly, and my body burned with desire.

"Eddie, darling. Let me love you too. Please."

She whispered "no", and I began to beg for all of her love.

When I began to cry, she gave in and turned around on the bed. The cologne on her body made my head reel. I kissed her slowly, then hungrily. When I pressed my lips to her body, the sweet warmth of her thrilled me as I'd never known love could. I felt her body twisting, and I couldn't keep my own hips still. Suddenly Eddie's body grew tense, and I felt myself doing the same thing. I relaxed and called her name, and she gripped me tighter.

"Don't stop, honey. Please. Oh, 'Lise baby. I love you so much."

"Eddie. Oh, heaven help me. Oh Eddie," I whispered as I buried my face against her once more.

Eddie lay beside me, holding me in her arms. I nestled against her warm body and slept for awhile. Finally she woke me and we got up and bathed together. Just feeling her hands on my body as she rubbed me with the soapy cloth made me want her again. But she teased me, refusing, until I was laughing.

"Don't be so greedy," she said. "This isn't the last time."

"I know, but I love you so much."

"I love you too, darling. But we can't just live in the bed. Come on."

She led me back to the bedroom and we dressed. Then she drove me to my apartment so that I could put on something cooler. We'd planned to go skating.

I let myself into the apartment and went to the bedroom. I was surprised to find Ty in bed, since he'd left to go to work as usual that morning. And he wasn't alone. I didn't know who the man beside him was, but I could see that they were old friends. Ty was asleep, his head on the other man's shoulder.

I walked to the closet as quietly as I could and got out a pair of loafers and a blouse. Then I went to the dresser for a pair of shorts. The noise of my pulling out the drawer awoke Ty. He looked startled for a second, then raised up on an elbow and grinned.

"I thought you were at work, 'Lise," he said.

"That's where you're supposed to be, isn't it?" I asked.

"I quit yesterday," he explained. "What's your excuse?"

"I quit today."

Our conversation woke Ty's guest, a flabby looking man in his late thirties. He needed a shave badly, and his hair was greying at the temples.

"What the hell's going on here, Ty?"

"Glad you're awake, honey," Ty said to him. "Meet my wife, Elise."

"Your what!" the man shrieked, jumping out of the bed and grabbing for his shorts.

"Don't leave," I told him. "I only stopped to get some cooler clothes. I'll be gone in just a minute."

Ty's friend stared at me, his shorts in his hands. Then, feeling his nakedness, he covered himself with them. Ty laughed.

"Honey, she ain't interested in you. Or me either. My wife's got a lover. Ain't that right, 'Lise baby?"

"See you later, Ty," I said, turning to leave without answering his question.

"Well, I'll be damned. I'll just be damned," Ty's friend muttered.

As I closed the door to the bedroom behind me, I heard the bed creak.

* * *

Ty was waiting up for me when I went home that night. I could tell he was angry the moment I walked into the living room.

"You could have called to tell me that you weren't coming for supper," he snarled at me.

"Sorry. But I thought you would have some company."

"Don't be So damn smart. What did you have to come sneaking in like that for?"

"I didn't sneak in. I live here, remember? And I'm the one that's been paying the rent. I haven't seen twenty dollars of your money in the last six weeks."

"Always yapping about your goddamn money and what you spend. I'm sick of it, you hear?" he shouted.

"I can hear without all that yelling," I told him. "Quiet down."

"Listen to the bitch give orders," he said. "I'll quiet down like hell. You're my wife, and I'll yell at you if I damn well please."

"So yell. And while you're doing it, you can let off some of that steam while you're packing your clothes."

"Oh, so that's it. You've been waiting for me to get mad at you so you can put me out and your boy friend can move in. Excuse me, I meant girl friend," he said sarcastically, but quietly.

"I hadn't thought about it, Ty. But it seems like a good idea."

"If you want her so bad, why don't you get out? She's got a fancy damned house out on the hill, ain't she? Why don't you move in with the bitch and she won't have to waste gas to come down here after you when you get hot in the twat."

"That's a good idea too. I'll ask her when she gets back. She just went to the store to get us a drink."

I turned my back to him and went into the bedroom to change into a dress. He followed me, calling me several kinds of bitches, which I ignored. Then I went back into the living room, just in time to answer the door.

"Come in dar--" I stopped in midsentence and stared at Papa.

"Hello, Elise. I hope you don't mind my barging in like this."

"Not at all," I lied. "Come on in. Ty's here."

"But you just--oh never mind," he mumbled as he entered.

"Tell your woman lover to go home, bitch. I'm sleeping with you tonight," Ty yelled from the bedroom.

He walked to the door and placed his hands on his naked hips. Then, seeing Papa, he reddened slightly and went back into the bedroom. When he returned he had his clothes on.

"Hi, Dad," he greeted. "Sit down."

"No thank you, Tyson. I just dropped in to say hello. I can only stay a minute."

"Sure you can stay, Dad. Come on."

He steered Papa to the couch and practically shoved the poor man down onto it. At that moment, Eddie pushed the door open and walked in. She stared at Papa, then turned and started back out.

"Don't go, Edna," Papa called. "I was just leaving."

Papa rose and walked toward her. "I'll come back later, Mr. Harris. It wasn't important."

"Like hell!" Ty exploded rudely. "Isn't sleeping with my wife important to you anymore? And since when?"

"Shut up, Ty," I hissed at him. "Shut your mouth or I'll kill you."

Eddie glared at him with hatred in her eyes. Papa merely looked amazed.

"What for?" Ty said. "It ain't no secret that you been loving this bitch. Dad knew it. Didn't you Dad? Didn't you know my wife's been making love to this freak?"

"Tyson! That's enough!" Papa shouted. "You keep your mouth shut!"

"Why? Don't you want people to know your son married a freak? A stinking, lousy bitch that likes women?" Ty was screaming like a hysterical, neurotic woman.

"Elise. I've' had enough of this," Eddie broke in. "Ty is going entirely too far. And if you don't tell his father the truth I certainly will."

"I'll tell him, Eddie."

"Shut your mouth, you lying bitch!" Ty screamed.

"You have the nerve to call me a bitch," I said, "when you've had half the men in Bartstown. Or have they had you? You're no better than Eddie and I are. In fact, you're much worse. At least we love each other. You've been with a dozen guys and maybe more. Just for the sake of satisfying your passion."

Eddie put her arm around me to quiet me down, and Papa stood there, staring at Ty.

"Liar!" Ty screamed. "Liar! Making me look bad to my own father. You know you're lying, trying to cover up your own dirty mistakes. Tell him the truth. Tell him you made it up."

"It's the truth and you know it, Ty." I turned to Papa. "If Ty hadn't given a party on my birthday and invited his friend, Eddie and I wouldn't be together now, Papa. I saw them together. I don't have to tell you what they were doing. That's when I decided that we'd never make our marriage work. That's when I stopped trying to be a wife to him."

Papa looked at Ty, whose face was covered with the truth that he had denied so vigorously only a few moments before. They both looked at me, and I felt they were asking me to say that it wasn't true. I said nothing. Then Papa spoke: "Get your clothes, Tyson, and leave these women alone. You come home with me."

Ty didn't move. "Get your clothes, Tyson!" Papa roared.

Ty moved then; even Eddie jumped. For Papa seldom raised his voice. No one spoke in the few minutes it took Ty to get some of his things together. He went out the door first, and Papa followed him. Then, just before he closed the door behind him, Papa turned to smile at me.

"I know you tried, Elise. I know you did. I'm not angry at you. Only sorry that it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. We can't tell Mama what happened, of course. She wouldn't understand." He turned and closed the door. Then he pushed it open again and smiled at both Eddie and me. "Good night, girls. Next time I come over, I'll call first." He winked at us and slipped on out the door.

Eddie fixed us a drink, and after we'd finished it, I locked the house up and we went to bed. But before I went into Eddie's waiting arms, I hid the gun that had belonged to Ty in one of my bedroom slippers.

The gun turned out to be a needless precaution that night, for I heard nothing from Ty for three days. When he did call, it was just to ask if he might come over to pick up the rest of his clothes and to return my key. I was alone when he called, but I gave him permission to come. I had the gun, and I was sure he wouldn't try to hurt me, knowing that I was able to protect myself.

"Hello. You still here?" he called when he let himself into the apartment.

I whistled to him from the kitchen, and it took him only a few seconds to reach the room.

"Gee, you look good, baby," he said as he came toward me. I was standing at the stove with my back toward him, and I had on nothing but a pair of red panties. I swung around quickly, and Ty jumped back when he saw the gun.

"You came for your clothes, Ty," I said, smiling coldly, "and that's all you're getting."

I held out my hand and he placed the key in it. Then he turned and went to the bedroom. I drank a cup of coffee before I went into the bedroom. Ty was just closing his suitcase. He held out his hand.

"That's it, except for the gun."

"Sorry, Ty. Send your father for it, and it's yours. But I'd be stupid to give it to you, now wouldn't I?"

He started toward me and I stepped back, leveling the weapon. He stopped and glared at me.

"You're a dirty bitch. You know that?" he snarled.

"Of course I do. I'm several other kinds too, remember? Not that I mind. Coming from you, it seems like a compliment."

I backed out the door and went to the couch, never relaxing my grip on the gun. Eddie had shown me how to release the safety, and told me that it was an automatic, that all I had to do was to squeeze the trigger and it would shoot by itself.

Ty carried his bag to the door, and laid the two cleaning bags on top of it. Then he turned toward me and held his hand out.

"Give me the gun, Elise." I shook my head.

When he started toward me again, I squeezed the trigger. The bullets flew past him and smashed into the wall. The gun emptied itself. He didn't seem to be able to think clearly or he would have known that I was now defenseless. He turned and ran out of the apartment without his clothes. I walked to the suitcase and pushed it out the door. Then I went to the telephone and dialed his mother's phone number.

"Mother? I won't keep you. Send a cab to pick up Ty's clothes. I just chased him out of the house with his own gun. Now he has a very good reason to get a divorce."

I hung up the phone and went over to the couch to lie down until Eddie came.

* * *

By the time Eddie arrived, I was a little calmer. I told her what had happened, and she assured me that I had done the right thing. I felt better, but I wasn't so sure that it was really right for me to have shot at Ty. Especially after the police came. I guessed that Mother had called them.

"You Elise Harris?" a short, fat, red-faced policeman asked.

"Yes sir," I answered quietly.

"You have some kind of trouble? We got a call there was a fight going on here."

"No trouble now, officer."

"What's these holes, then? Termites?" the taller officer asked.

"Bullet holes. I took a few shots at my husband."

"Oh, did you now? And did you know it's against the law to go around shooting at people?"

"Yes sir. But this was in self defense."

"Now, it ain't against the law to defend yourself. But you can't go around shooting at just anybody, you know."

"My husband and I are separated. He came here for the rest of his clothes and tried to attack me. So I shot at him."

"Just the same, we got to make a report on it. Where is the gun?"

I went to the couch, pulled it from under the cushion and handed it to him.

"Is it registered, lady?"

"How should I know? It belonged to my husband until I found it. I almost had to use it once before, but he changed his mind about beating me up. I found it a few months ago. He had it a while before that, I guess."

Just then there was a knock on the door, and I opened it to find Mother and Ty standing there, smiling.

"Come in," I said icily. "We're holding open house this week.

"You Tyson Harris?" the fat officer asked as he turned to Ty.

The taller man had gone to the kitchen to look a-round.

"Yes sir, I'm Harris."

"This the lady that shot at you?"

"Why ask him? I told you I did it."

"Shut up, sister. I asked the gent."

"Yes sir. She stole the gun from my dresser while I was away. When I came back, she ordered me to pack up and get out. I packed, but just before I left, I tried to talk to her and she opened up."

"You lying sonofabitch," I muttered.

"What was that, lady?" asked my fat friend.

"I said go to hell. All of you."

Just then the taller cop came back into the room. He'd been standing in the doorway to the kitchen and listening attentively to the conversation between Ty and his partner.

"That's right, officer," Ty said. "She just shot, for no reason at all."

At this point, the taller policeman burst into a hearty laugh. He walked toward where we stood and pointed his finger at Ty.

"No reason? You're kidding us, mister. Or is it sister? I've forgotten. But you're the same faggot we picked up with Phillips, aren't you?"

Ty's face reddened as the officer continued to laugh. The shorter man looked at Ty closely, then he began to laugh too.

"Sure. It was night before last, wasn't it? Disorderly conduct, I think. Sure it was." Then he turned to me. "Lady, it's too damn bad you're such a lousy shot."

"You gonna prefer charges, honey?" the tall cop asked Ty. Ty shook his head and turned to leave. "The gun registered, Harris?"

"Yes. It is. Can I have it?"

"After we see your permit." Ty produced a piece of paper from his billfold and the officers inspected it. They handed both the paper and the gun to Ty. While all this went on, Ty's mother stood in the door with her hands on her hips and her mouth hanging open. But when the officers started to leave, she protested.

"Aren't you going to take her to jail?"

"What for, lady? Protecting herself?" asked the fat one.

"She shot at my son," Mother cried indignantly.

"Better forget it, Mom. It was my fault," Ty said as he steered his mother out the door. He paused to pick up his bag, and when the policemen were out of earshot, he hissed at me.

"I'm not through with you yet, Bitch."

"Honey, if you ever come near me again, I'll tell Mother what kind of a girl her boy really is."

I kicked the door shut with my foot, and turned to see where Eddie was. She wasn't in the living room, and a quick peek into the kitchen showed me she wasn't there either.

I went to the bedroom and pushed the partly closed door open. Eddie was lying on the bed, completely naked. She held her arms out to me.

"Come here, sweet," she said. "Let me hold you close."

I went into her arms anxiously, knowing all too well that she was going to make love to me. I wasn't disappointed.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Ty's words weren't just an angry bluff, as we learned several weeks later. I'd sold my furniture and moved to the little house that Eddie had leased. To her closest neighbor, a Mrs. Weiss, she explained me as her sister, a semi-invalid, and that her brother couldn't take care of me anymore. My bad heart made it impossible for me to work and support myself.

Mrs. Weiss was awfully sweet to me, and on several occasions, she brought her two youngest daughters over for me to keep while she shopped. I'd refused to let her pay me, so she began to bring me small gifts, like hankies and earrings. And once she brought me a slip that she'd gotten at a sale.

On one of these afternoons, she returned to her own home before coming to pick up the children. She seemed angry, but she talked constantly, so I guessed that she was angry because she'd just learned that she was pregnant for the eighth time in nine years.

We had coffee on the porch because Eddie was still asleep, and when she wakened, she joined us. Shortly after that, several more women came over to sit with us. They were people from the neighborhood that I had not met, and Mrs. Weiss introduced them. We talked for a few minutes. And then a man joined the group.

I had not seen him before, and Eddie introduced him as John Winette, a representative of the real estate company who owned the house. He asked us to come inside, along with Mrs. Weiss, and one other woman, a Mrs. Betty Lindlow. I could see that Eddie was as puzzled as I was over Mr. Winette's unexpected visit.

We sat in the living room, and Mr. Winette pulled a sheet of paper from his briefcase.

"Mrs. Wallace, this is a petition. It was signed by all of your neighbors, requesting that you leave the neighborhood. It states, in effect, that you are undesirable, since this woman whom you claim as a sister is actually your lover. That you two women are living immorally as man and wife." He paused for a moment and looked at us. Then he continued. "This house was leased to you for one year. However, you have several months left. We cannot evict you, but if you should choose to break the lease we will be happy to return to you whatever amount you have left. Is that fair enough?"

"Where did you get this information, Mr. Winette?" asked Eddie.

"From Mrs. Weiss and Mrs. Lindlow."

"And where did you get it?" she asked of the two women who were sitting on the edge of the couch.

"I got it from Elise's mother-in-law, Mrs. Bessie Harris, who happens to be a member of my church. And I'll not have such women around my children," stated Mrs. Weiss.

"Just when did you learn this, Mrs. Weiss?" I asked.

"Why, last Sunday. What difference does that make?"

"Last Sunday? Why, you've left your children here every day since then, for at least two hours. If we were so terrible, would you have left them here with us? With me?" I asked her. She squirmed uncomfortably. "We can't be so bad, now can we? After all, I'm good enough to baby-sit for you. I can't be too bad an influence on children, or no good mother would let me watch her children. And both of them girls at that."

"Is this true?" Mr. Winette asked.

Mrs. Weiss nodded.

"Well, Mrs. Wallace," the man said, turning to Eddie, "it's up to you. Do you want me to find another house for you?"

I waited for Eddie to answer, and in doing so, I looked around the room. I'd grown to love this little house. It was the first real home I'd ever had. Eddie must have sensed this, for she shook her head and answered, "No, I think we'll stay here. For a while anyway." At this, Mr. Winette rose.

"Very well. If you change your mind, let us know." He left, and the two women followed him, protesting that he simply couldn't let us stay here. He argued that he couldn't make us move. Then he repeated what I'd said to Mrs. Weiss.

Eddie and I watched as the two women walked angrily down the walk behind the real estate man, and then went on to Mrs. Weiss', where the other women who had gathered on our porch now sat. The women sat talking and shaking their heads for a few minutes. Then, finally, the group broke up, each woman going to her own home.

* * *

Several nights later, Eddie and I returned from the Lounge to find that the glass in the kitchen door had been broken. We went into the house cautiously, but no one was there. Nor did anything seem to be missing. But we did find something that didn't belong to us. There were several pictures of women making love to other women. These were set on the dresser in the bedroom, and on the coffee table. The word 'freaks' was scrawled in huge letters on the mirror above the fireplace.

The next day we found two letters in our mailbox. Neither had been mailed, but simply dropped into the box. They both had the same message for us:--Get out, woman lovers!

I began to be uneasy, and Eddie never left me alone. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the letters and broken windows stopped. I stopped going to the Lounge every night then, and went just on Sunday.

For a month, things continued in this way; and though the women in the neighborhood shunned me, I didn't mind. I knew that I had Eddie, and that was really all I wanted.

One Friday, there was a knock on the door. I called to see who it was, and Mary Phillips answered me. I opened the door and let her in. I didn't notice then that she did not shut the door tight.

We went into the living room, and I offered her a drink, which she accepted. When I returned from the kitchen, Ty was sitting with Mary on the couch.

"Get out of here, Ty. You've done enough."

"Baby," he whispered drunkenly. "Ain't you glad to see your husband?" He leered at me.

I edged past him toward the bedroom to get the gun that Eddie had purchased when we first began to have trouble. But before I could get to it, he caught me and pinned my arms behind my back. He threw me on the bed and tore at my clothes.

Mary followed him into the bedroom, and I saw a piece of rope in her hands. She handed it to Ty who, with her help, managed to tie me. Then Mary pushed Ty away from me.

"You promised, Ty. You said I could have her first."

"Go ahead, kid. Have fun. I ain't never seen a woman get raped by a woman before. Have yourself a ball."

I screamed and cried with pain as she sucked and bit my breasts. They became red and swollen. She bit my stomach until it was bruised. Then she began to bite my legs. I tossed around, struggling to get free, but they had done a good job. My hands and feet were tied to the four corner posts of the bed, and I couldn't loosen the ropes.

"Stop. Please stop. Oh god," I moaned as Mary tore at my body with her teeth.

She laughed, and continued until I was so sore and full of pain I couldn't fight any more. I closed my eyes and tried to will myself into unconsciousness but it was impossible.

Seconds later my eyes flew open. Mary had jumped away from me and kneeled on the bed staring at Eddie, who was standing directly behind Ty. He started to turn around, but didn't quite make it before the table-lamp Eddie was holding smashed against the side of his head. He fell to the floor. It seemed to be more because he wanted to get out of the way if she swung again than because he was too badly hurt. But he was certainly sober now.

Mary still crouched on the bed. She seemed to be trying to make up her mind whether to try to get past Eddie and out of the house or whether she should stay where she was. Eddie decided for her. "Untie Elise," she ordered Mary. Mary began working on the knots that she'd helped tie. As soon as I was free, I walked over to Eddie. Her eyes darted toward the dresser and I went to it immediately and reached inside the top drawer. I removed the pistol and walked back to where she stood.

Eddie took the gun from me and removed the safety catch. She pulled back the top section and both Ty and Mary moved back closer to the wall as they heard the bullet slide into the chamber.

"Now look, Eddie," Mary began, "this was all;--"

"Shut up, you lousy bitch!" Eddie snarled. Mary took another step backward. "I ought to kill you! Both of you! But I doubt that it would be worth it."

Eddie's voice was shaking. I knew it was hard for her not to pull the trigger.

"It's a damn good thing for both of you that I love Elise. As far as I'm concerned, I'd go to jail for the privilege of ridding the world of you.

"I'm not too surprised that this happened, because I've known both of you long enough to know you'd do the rottenest thing you could think of to try to hurt us.

"Maybe our kind of love is wrong. But who are you to say? Either of you?" she shouted at them.

Neither answered, and she raged on.

"You Ty. You're about the lowest kind of animal I've ever met. You don't love Elise. You never have. You were fooling with Bobby before you married her. Yet, when she told you she loved me, you had nerve enough to play the part of the outraged husband. Or was it ignorance that made you feel bad when you learned your wife didn't love you?"

Ty opened his mouth to answer but Eddie screamed at him to be quiet.

"And you," she said to Mary. "What I think of you I can't even find words for. Nothing could describe the kind of female snake you are. Both of you are rotten!"

Mary licked her lips and looked at Ty, whose eyes darted around the room. He was, I thought, looking for a way out. But unless he tried to break past us and go out the door, he would have to go through the window, and I doubted that he would do that. He didn't. Instead, he tried to talk to Eddie.

"Now, look. Elise is my wife. You had no right to take her away from me."

"She didn't take me, Ty. And you know it." My voice was calm in spite of my pounding heart. "You drove me away, with your whining and begging, and your childish stupidity. Eddie just happened to be there when I needed her love and understanding. And after I tried to be a wife, you wouldn't let me. And you didn't even have the decency to let me go when you started having affairs with Bobbie and your other friend, and who knows how many more!"

"Elise," Eddie said, "don't bother. It's a waste of time for either of us to even try to tell them what we think of them."

Eddie took my arm and we walked over to the bed, leaving a clear path to the door. "Get out of here. Both of you."

Eddie's voice was low and dangerous. They looked at her uncertainly. "Get out!" she screamed. "And don't ever come near us again. If you do, I'll kill you! That isn't a threat. It's a promise."

Ty wasted no time getting to his feet. And Mary moved even more swiftly to get out of the room. But he was only seconds behind her, and he didn't bother to close the door.

"Maybe I should have killed them anyway," Eddie said softly as she held me in her arms. She had helped me bathe and had rubbed some ointment on the raw and bruised spots on my body.

"That wouldn't have helped us, honey. I'd still be alone."

"You're right, of course, sweet. But I really wanted to."

"I know." I sat close to her on the couch, and her arms went around me. Suddenly I reached over and crushed out the cigarette. "Eddie. Let's leave here. We'll never be really happy as long as we stay here in Bartstown."

"I guess that would be best, honey. We'll start getting ready first thing in the morning." She smiled as she tightened her arms. It felt so good, just to know that she was mine.

We accepted the refund on the house, although we knew we were being cheated; and we sold the furniture. With that money, and what I had in the bank, we managed quite nicely in the new home we'd chosen. Eddie applied for a singing job at a night club and was hired on the spot when they heard her voice. And our new neighbors ask no questions.

Here, there are many people like us. People who could not find love with the opposite sex.

Ty got his divorce because I deserted him. This we learned from Jeff, who recently arrived from Bartstown with Becky as his wife. We also learned from Jeff that Ty was quite happy in his new life with the man who'd been in our apartment, the man who couldn't quite believe that I really didn't care that he was Ty's lover.

Mother Harris, of course, is quite unhappy about the whole thing. But Papa is pleased that things turned out the way they did. As he told Jeff only last week: "Everybody is entitled to love and happiness, regardless of where they find it."

And I found mine with Eddie.

THE END
Between The Two ....(89k)    by Ann Freeman




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