Stay with me.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Until we go down to the Municipal Building. We’ll spend the day together.’
‘I can’t, darling. Not the whole day. I have to get back to the dorm, finish packing, dress … Don’t you have to pack?’
‘I left a suitcase down at the hotel when I made the reservation.’
‘Oh. Well you have to dress, don’t you? I expect to see you in your blue suit.’
He smiled. ‘Yes, ma’am. You can give me some of your time, anyway. Until lunch.’
‘What’ll we do?’ They sauntered across the lawn.
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘Maybe go for a walk. Down to the river.’
‘In these shoes?’ She lifted a foot, displaying a soft leather loafer. ‘I’d get fallen arches. There’s no support in these things.’
‘Okay,’ he said, ‘no river.’
‘I’ve got an idea.’ She pointed to the Fine Arts Building ahead of them. ‘Let’s go to the record-room in Fine Arts and listen to some records.’
‘I don’t know, it’s such a beautiful day I’d like to stay—’ He paused as her smile faded.
She was looking beyond the Fine Arts Building to where the needle of station KBRI’S transmission tower speared the sky. ‘The last time I was in the Municipal Building it was to see that doctor,’ she said soberly.
‘It’ll be different this time,’ he said. And then he stopped walking.
‘What is it?’
‘Dorrie, you’re right. Why should we wait until four o’clock? Let’s go now!’
‘Get married now ?’
‘Well, after you pack and dress and everything. Look you go back to the dorm now and get ready. What do you say?’
‘Oh yes! Yes! Oh, I want to go now!’
‘I’ll call you up in a little while and tell you when I’ll pick you up.’
‘Yes. Yes.’ She stretched up and kissed his cheek excitedly. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered.
He grinned at her.
She hurried away, flashing a smile back over her shoulder, walking as fast as she could.
He watched her go. Then he turned and looked again at the KBRI tower, which marked the Blue River Municipal Building; the tallest building in the city; fourteen storeys above the hard slabs of the sidewalk.
ELEVEN
He went into the Fine Arts Building where a telephone booth was jammed under the slope of the main stairway. Calling Information, he obtained the number of the Marriage Licence Bureau.
‘Marriage Licence Bureau.’
‘Hello. I’m calling to find out what hours the Bureau is open today.’
‘Till noon and from one to five-thirty.’
‘Closed between twelve and one?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Thank you.’ He hung up, dropped another coin into the phone and dialled the dorm. When they buzzed Dorothy’s room there was no answer. He replaced the receiver, wondering what could have detained her. At the rate she had been walking she should have been in her room already.
He had no more change, so he went out and crossed the campus to a luncheonette, where he broke a dollar bill and glared at the girl who occupied the phone booth. When she finally abdicated he stepped into the perfume-smelling booth and closed the door. This time Dorothy answered.
‘Hello?’
‘Hi. What took you so long? I called a couple of minutes ago.’
‘I stopped on the way. I had to buy a pair of gloves.’ She sounded breathless and happy.
‘Oh. Listen, it’s – twenty-five after ten now. Can you be ready at twelve?’
‘Well, I don’t know. I want to take a shower—’
‘Twelve-fifteen?’
‘Okay.’
‘Listen, you’re not going to sign out for the weekend, are you?’
‘I have to. You know the rules.’
‘If you sign out, you’ll have to put down where you’re going to be, won’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well?’
‘I’ll put down “New Washington House”. If the house mother asks, I’ll explain to her.’
‘Look, you can sign out later this afternoon. We have to come back here, anyway. About the trailer. We have to come back about that.’
‘We do?’
‘Yes. They
‘What do you mean?’
‘Until we go down to the Municipal Building. We’ll spend the day together.’
‘I can’t, darling. Not the whole day. I have to get back to the dorm, finish packing, dress … Don’t you have to pack?’
‘I left a suitcase down at the hotel when I made the reservation.’
‘Oh. Well you have to dress, don’t you? I expect to see you in your blue suit.’
He smiled. ‘Yes, ma’am. You can give me some of your time, anyway. Until lunch.’
‘What’ll we do?’ They sauntered across the lawn.
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘Maybe go for a walk. Down to the river.’
‘In these shoes?’ She lifted a foot, displaying a soft leather loafer. ‘I’d get fallen arches. There’s no support in these things.’
‘Okay,’ he said, ‘no river.’
‘I’ve got an idea.’ She pointed to the Fine Arts Building ahead of them. ‘Let’s go to the record-room in Fine Arts and listen to some records.’
‘I don’t know, it’s such a beautiful day I’d like to stay—’ He paused as her smile faded.
She was looking beyond the Fine Arts Building to where the needle of station KBRI’S transmission tower speared the sky. ‘The last time I was in the Municipal Building it was to see that doctor,’ she said soberly.
‘It’ll be different this time,’ he said. And then he stopped walking.
‘What is it?’
‘Dorrie, you’re right. Why should we wait until four o’clock? Let’s go now!’
‘Get married now ?’
‘Well, after you pack and dress and everything. Look you go back to the dorm now and get ready. What do you say?’
‘Oh yes! Yes! Oh, I want to go now!’
‘I’ll call you up in a little while and tell you when I’ll pick you up.’
‘Yes. Yes.’ She stretched up and kissed his cheek excitedly. ‘I love you so much,’ she whispered.
He grinned at her.
She hurried away, flashing a smile back over her shoulder, walking as fast as she could.
He watched her go. Then he turned and looked again at the KBRI tower, which marked the Blue River Municipal Building; the tallest building in the city; fourteen storeys above the hard slabs of the sidewalk.
ELEVEN
He went into the Fine Arts Building where a telephone booth was jammed under the slope of the main stairway. Calling Information, he obtained the number of the Marriage Licence Bureau.
‘Marriage Licence Bureau.’
‘Hello. I’m calling to find out what hours the Bureau is open today.’
‘Till noon and from one to five-thirty.’
‘Closed between twelve and one?’
‘That’s right.’
‘Thank you.’ He hung up, dropped another coin into the phone and dialled the dorm. When they buzzed Dorothy’s room there was no answer. He replaced the receiver, wondering what could have detained her. At the rate she had been walking she should have been in her room already.
He had no more change, so he went out and crossed the campus to a luncheonette, where he broke a dollar bill and glared at the girl who occupied the phone booth. When she finally abdicated he stepped into the perfume-smelling booth and closed the door. This time Dorothy answered.
‘Hello?’
‘Hi. What took you so long? I called a couple of minutes ago.’
‘I stopped on the way. I had to buy a pair of gloves.’ She sounded breathless and happy.
‘Oh. Listen, it’s – twenty-five after ten now. Can you be ready at twelve?’
‘Well, I don’t know. I want to take a shower—’
‘Twelve-fifteen?’
‘Okay.’
‘Listen, you’re not going to sign out for the weekend, are you?’
‘I have to. You know the rules.’
‘If you sign out, you’ll have to put down where you’re going to be, won’t you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well?’
‘I’ll put down “New Washington House”. If the house mother asks, I’ll explain to her.’
‘Look, you can sign out later this afternoon. We have to come back here, anyway. About the trailer. We have to come back about that.’
‘We do?’
‘Yes. They
Similar Books
