Ten North Frederick (50 page)

Ann looked at him but said nothing, then turned away.

“Is that what I'm to understand?” said Joe.

She remained silent.

“Is it, Ann? It's what you told your mother.”

“I know I did,” said Ann.

“But it isn't what you want to tell me?”

“I don't want to tell anybody anything,” said Ann.

“But unfortunately I have to know.”

“Why?”

“Because—so many reasons. I want to protect you, and I will. Be sure of that Ann, no matter what. But I must know what happened.”

“Just you?”

“That depends. I can't make any promises till I know.”

“Father, nothing
much
happened.”

“Well, tell me what did.”

“Will Tommy get in trouble?”

“It's to our advantage to see that the whole thing is kept as quiet as possible. Ann, I want you to have confidence in me, and whatever is done, my first concern is for your welfare.”

“My welfare. You mean for my own good?”

“Not quite the way that sounds,” said Joe. “I'm not going to treat you like a child.”

“I'll tell you,” said Ann. “We stopped the truck, and then we smoked a cigarette. We all smoked. Then we started to get hungry and Tommy said there was plenty to eat in the truck and we opened up all the packages of meat, but mostly it was steaks and chops and things that we didn't want to eat raw, although he did. He ate some roast beef raw, without any salt or anything. We didn't have any salt. Then finally we found one package with some bologna and some sausage and Sara and I ate that. It made us awfully thirsty and we wanted a drink of water. So he got out and went up the road and came back with a half a coconut shell filled with spring water and we drank that. Then I guess we had some more cigarettes.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then he said who wants to get in the back of the truck with him. And we both said we didn't. Well, then he laughed and joked and kidded Sara and me and finally Sara said, all right, she'd get in back with him, and she did, and I sat in front alone. I could hear them but I couldn't see them. They were necking, and I said if you two didn't stop necking I was going home, and they said to get in back with them, so I did. And he kissed me.”

“Forcibly?”

“No. I let him kiss me.”

“I see. And then what?”

“Well, then he wanted us to take off our bloomers.”

“And did you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“And did Sara?”

“No, just me.”

“And?” said Joe. “What about him?”

“He opened his trousers.”

“He didn't take them off?”

“No, but he opened them all the way. I could see him. Then he wanted to go all the way with me, but I wouldn't let him.”

“Did Sara try to stop him?”

“No, she wanted me to.”

“Well,
then
, what
did
happen?”

“Well, I put my hand on him and he put his hand on me, and we did that.”

“You say ‘that.' Did you know what you were doing?”

“Yes. I've done it before with other boys. I won't tell you who, so don't ask me.”

“All right. Then what happened?”

“Well, he fell asleep.”

“And you and Sara stayed there? How long was he asleep?”

“I don't know, I guess about two hours,” said Ann. “We were going to walk home, but it was too far, and we weren't sure of the roads.”

“What did he do when he woke up?”

“He tried to get Sara to go all the way.”

“But she wouldn't?”

“No. She said she'd do what I did but no more. So she took off her bloomers and that's what they did. Father, it's not so terrible. Almost every girl we know does that much.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you looked so sad.”

“I am sad, Ann, but at the same time relieved,” said Joe. “And that's all you did? I don't mean to condone it, but is that all?”

“On my word of honor,” she said.

“He never touched you with his private parts?”

“No. You're worried that I could have a baby?”

“Well, yes, partly. You've heard of venereal disease.”

“The claps? No, he never.”

“You've given me your word of honor. Is there anything more you want to tell me? That I haven't asked you?”

“Just that I'm sorry it happened, and it wasn't his fault. He didn't force us to go with him, and he didn't even make us do what we did do. Father, I'm not just an innocent little baby.”

“No, not if you know about such things as the claps, as you call it. Have you ever gone the limit?”

“No.”

“But almost?”

“As much as I did today, no farther.”

“Do you realize that you were lucky? I take for granted you know what rape is.”

“Yes, I know. But he couldn't have raped one of us with the other there.”

“Sara seems to have wanted to encourage him.”

“She was excited,” said Ann.

“What?”

“Nothing. I'm sorry I said that.”

“Well, I heard you. And you were, too, Ann, or you wouldn't have got in the back of the truck. That's the danger. You can't help getting excited, it's in all of us. But it's there for a good reason, so that when you fall in love with the right young man you can share everything with him. You don't cheapen it with a stranger that takes you for a ride in a truck.”

“I know, I didn't think. What are you going to do about Tommy?”

“If I did what I want to do I'd give him a good beating, but I have to think.”

“What are you going to tell Mother?”

“I'm going to have to tell her the truth.”

“Please don't, Father? Please? I beg of you.”

“How can I not tell her?” said Joe.

“You can lie for me. Please don't tell her. I don't want her to know. If you tell her what happened today, you'll have to tell her it happened before. I couldn't bear it. I'd run away.”

“Why?”

“I don't want her to know, I don't want her to know. If you tell her I'll never tell you anything again as long as I live.”

“She's your mother, and my wife. I shouldn't have any secrets from my wife.”

“But you have. I'm sure you have,” said the girl.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Because I've looked at you, Father. You have secrets.”

“They can be a burden,” said Joe. “And they get heavier.”

“You must have been in love with somebody before Mother. Or maybe after. But there's somebody you love besides Mother.”

“Of course—you, for instance.”

“I didn't ask you to tell me, I just know.”

“Yes. She died before your mother and I fell in love,” said Joe. “All right. We'll make up some story. The young man tried to kiss you but you wouldn't let him. But what about Sara? What's she going to tell your Cousin Percy and Cousin Sara?”

“She's not afraid of them. She's stubborn. She bosses them around as if they were slaves. If they ask her too many questions she'll walk out of the room.”

“Do you admire that?” said Joe.

“No, but look at Cousin Percy and Cousin Sara. So old and decrepit—”

“He happens to be two years older than I am, that's all.”

“Well, they look older and act older. They're afraid of her shadow. Honestly they are, Father.”

He took a cigarette from the silver box his ushers had given him. “Do you inhale?”

“Yes,” she said. “Could I have one?”

“No,” he said. “There's been quite enough maturity in this house for one day. I wonder what you'll be like with your children.”

“Like you, I hope.”

He suddenly broke, put his head on his hands and wept. “Go now, please get out,” he said.

She took away his cigarette and crushed it on the tray. She touched the back of his head. “Good-bye, dear,” she said, and went out. . . .

In a little while Edith came in and sat down.

“I suppose you got nothing out of her,” said Edith.

“She said there was nothing, and I believe her,” said Joe. “You know the expression they use nowadays—he tried to make passes.”

“And failed? That's what we want to believe. I'd like to know more about the young man, I don't know a thing about him. I wouldn't know him if I saw him, and the girls don't know his last name.”

“Well, what can we do, Edith? Call the meat market and ask them for Tommy's last name? We can't, and anyway, they're probably closed.”

“You're a lawyer, find out from the police. They must know him, have some record of him.”

“They'd know him, but that would be showing our hand. I say let's drop it.”

“I say let's not drop it till we find out what kind of a person he is,” said Edith. “There's one man that knows every man, woman, and child in this town.”

“Who?”

“Mike Slattery,” said Edith.

“He's also one of the last people I'd like to take into our confidence.”

“He has four daughters,” said Edith.

Joe was silent. “What would I say to him? How much do we want to tell him?”

“It's going to be all over school tomorrow, tell him you want to know what kind of a person this Tommy is. Has he any record with the police? Is he a poolroom boy? Just tell him the girls—he picked up the girls and they went for a ride with him.”

“I've always been glad that Mike Slattery didn't have a thing on me.”

“What would he have on you, really? What could he say that he could use against you? His daughters aren't grown up yet, and things could happen to them.”

“All right, I'll call him.”

He did so.

“Yes, Joe, what can I do for you?” said Mike.

“Mike, you have four daughters, and I'm talking to you as the father of one.”

“Certainly, Joe.”

“This afternoon my daughter Ann, and her cousin Sara Stokes, allowed themselves to be picked up by the young man who drives the truck for the Regal Meat Market. They went for a ride and got stuck in the mud, down country, and they didn't get home till just before dinner.”

“I see.”

“I've questioned my daughter very thoroughly, and so has her mother, and we're both convinced there was nothing wrong, aside from playing truant. But Edith and I don't know a thing about the young man, other than the fact that his name is Tommy. Do you know him, by any chance?”

“Yes. His name is Willis, Tommy Willis, they call him,” said Mike. “I don't know very much about him, Joe. He seems like, oh, any number of young fellows that have that kind of a job. He isn't a Gibbsville boy. He comes from Taqua, originally, but he's been living in town three, four years. He boards at Mrs. Rafferty's, in the Fifth Ward. He must be pretty well behaved or Fran Rafferty wouldn't let him stay. He's a voter, he belongs to one of the hose companies—Perseverance, I guess. Yes, Perseverance, because I've seen him as tiller-man on the hook-and-ladder.”

“Is he married?”

“Not that I know of, Joe. He may have a wife in Taqua, but he must be separated if he has. She doesn't live with him here.”

“Do you know if he's ever been in any trouble with the police?”

“I don't think so, but I could easily find out. I'll call you back. Are you home?”

“Yes, thank you very much, Mike.”

Mike Slattery telephoned in half an hour.

“I have more on young Willis. He's had two summonses for speeding out Market Street, and he
is
married but separated from his wife. She had him up for non-support about a year ago, and he was ordered to pay her fifty a month. That's a lot of money, being's he only gets a hundred a month.”

“Has he any children?”

“No children,” said Mike.

“Separated from his wife, and has to pay her half his salary. That explains why he picked up two young girls.”

“That's what I thought too,” said Mike.

“I think the sooner this town gets rid of him, the better for our daughters.”

“I'd go easy there, Joe. I know you could have him fired, but you don't want him making a stink. He could make up some very beautiful lies and tell every pool hustler in town, and you know the kind of thing he'd say. I have dealings with a lot of different kinds of people, Joe. If you had him fired he'd have nothing to lose. Why don't you let me handle it for you? A word here or there, in the right place. He can be gotten rid of without it looking like you had anything to do with it. He hasn't fallen behind in his payments to his wife, because there he'd be in contempt and have to go to jail. But he's had two traffic summonses already and he can get in trouble again. Everybody breaks the law driving a car, but this fellow could be a habitual offender, you know. That'd take it out of your hands entirely, because the first two offenses were before this incident today, you see?”

“You're satisfied that that's the best way to do it?” said Joe.

“I think it's the best way.”

“Well, then I'll leave it entirely up to you, Mike. All I care about is the reputation of the two girls. You can understand that.”

“Joe, I can understand it four times better than you can, and I'm glad if I can be of service to you. That's what old friends are for.”

“Thank you.”

“My only other advice in this matter, if people say anything to you about it, don't just laugh it off, but don't let on you're too worried, either. If you try to pretend it didn't happen, people will get suspicious, but on the other hand—oh, you know what I mean. Just be casual. It happened. It's over. Girls will be girls. Could have been a lot worse. Handle it that way.”

“Machiavellian, Mike.”

“Hmm. Where have I heard
that
word before?”