Garden of Eden Read Free Page A

he
well knew and he must remember to be unselfish about it and make it as clear as
he could that the enforced loneliness was regrettable and that he was not proud
of it. He was sure she would be fine about it and she had her own resources but
he hated to think of it, the work, starting when they were as they were now. It
never could start of course without the clarity and he wondered if she knew
that and if that was why she drove beyond what they had for something new that
nothing could break. But what could it be? They could not be held tighter
together than they were now and there was no bad ness afterwards. There was
only happiness and loving each other and then hunger and replenishing and
starting over.
     
    He
found that he had drunk the fine l'eau and that it was getting late in the
afternoon. He ordered another and started to concentrate on the paper. But the
paper did not interest him as it should and he was looking out at the sea with
late afternoon sun heavy on it when he heard her come into the cafe and say in
her throaty voice, "Hello darling."
     
    She
came quickly to the table and sat down and lifted her chin and looked at him
with the laughing eyes and the golden face with the tiny freckles. Her hair was
cropped as short as a boy's. It was cut with no compromises. It was brushed
back, heavy as always, but the sides were cut short and the ears that grew
close to her head were clear and the tawny line of her hair was cropped close
to her head and smooth and sweeping back. She turned her head and lifted her
breasts and said, "Kiss me please."
     
    He
kissed her and looked at her face and at her hair and he kissed her again.
     
    "Do
you like it? Feel it how smooth. Feel it in back," she said.
     
    He
felt it in back.
     
    "Feel
on my cheek and feel in front of my ear. Run your fingers up at the
sides."
     
    "You
see," she said. "That's the surprise. I'm a girl. But now I'm a boy
too and I can do anything and anything and anything."
     
    "Sit
here by me," he said. "What do you want, brother."
     
    "Oh
thank you," she said. "I'll take what you're having. You see why it's
dangerous, don't you?"
     
    "Yes.
I see.
     
    "But
wasn't I good to do it?"
     
    "Maybe."
     
    "Not
maybe. No. I thought about it. I've thought all about it. Why do we have to go
by everyone else's rules? We're us.
     
    "We
were having a good time and I didn't feel any rules."
     
    "Would
you please just put your hand over it again."
     
    He
did and he kissed her.
     
    "Oh
you're sweet," she said. "And you do like it. I can feel and I can
tell. You don't have to love it. Just like it at first."
     
    "I
like it," he said. "And you have such a beautifully shaped head that
it is very beautiful with the lovely bones of your face."
     
    "Don't
you like it at the sides?" she asked. "It isn't faked or phony. It's
a true boy's haircut and not from any beauty shop."
     
    "Who
cut it?"
     
    "The
coiffeur at Aigues Mortes. The one who cut your hair a week ago. You told him
how you wanted yours cut then and I told him to cut mine just the same as
yours. He was very nice and wasn't at all surprised. He wasn't worried at all.
He said exactly like yours? And I said exactly. Doesn't it do anything to you,
David?"
     
    "Yes,"
he said.
     
    "Stupid
people will think it is strange. But we must be proud. I love to be
proud."
     
    "So
do I," he said. "We'll start being proud now.
     
    They
sat there in the cafe and watched the reflection of the setting sun over the
water and watched the dusk come to the town and they drank the fine l'eau.
People came by the cafe without being rude to see the girl because they had
been the only foreigners in the village and had been there now nearly three
weeks and she was a great beauty and they liked her. Then there had been the
big fish today and ordinarily there would have been much talk about that but
this other was a big thing in the village too. No decent girls had ever had
their hair cut short like that in this part of the country