Read Online Baby Is Three by Theodore Sturgeon - Free Book Online
Authors: Theodore Sturgeon
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shall I do?”
“I’d never tell you what to do about a thing like this, Tween. You know that. You’ve got to figure out your own answers. I can advise you to use those new-opened eyes of yours carefully, though. And don’t think that that man who lives in your heart doesn’t exist anywhere else. He does. Right here on this station, maybe. You just haven’t been able to see him before.”
“Who?”
“God, girl, don’t ask me that! Ask Tween next time you see her; no one will ever know for sure but Tween.”
“You’re so wise.…”
“Nah. I’m old enough to have made more mistakes than most people, that’s all, and I have a good memory.”
She rose shakily. I put out a hand and helped her. “You’re played out, Tween. Look—don’t go back yet. Hide out for a few days and get some rest and do some thinking. There’s a suite on this level. No one will bother you, and you’ll find everything there you need, including silence and privacy.”
“That would be good,” she said softly. “Thank you.”
“All right … listen. Mind if I send someone in to talk to you?”
“Talk? Who?”
“Let me play it as it comes.”
The ruby eyes sent a warm wave to me, and she smiled. I thought, I wish I was as confident of myself as she is of me. “It’s 412,” I said, “the third door to your left. Stay there as long as you want to. Come back when you feel like it.”
She came close to me and tried to say something. I thought for a second she was going to kiss me on the mouth. She didn’t; she kissed my hand. “I’ll swat your bottom!” I roared, flustered. “Git, now,dammit!” She laughed … she always had a bit of laughter tucked away in her, no matter what, bless her cotton head.…
As soon as she was gone, I turned to the annunciator and sent out a call for Judson.
Hell
, I thought,
you can try, can’t you?
Waiting, I thought about Judson’s hungry upward look, and that hole in his head … that quality of reachableness, and what happened when he was reached by the wrong thing. Lord, responsive people certainly make the worst damn fools of all!
He was there in minutes, looking flushed, excited, happy, and worried all at once. “Was on my way here when your call went out,” he said.
“Sit down, Jud. I have a small project in mind. Maybe you could help.”
He sat. I looked for just the right words to use. I couldn’t say anything about Flower. She had her hooks into him; if I said anything about her, he’d defend her. And one of the oldest phenomena in human relations is that we come to be very fond of the thing we find ourselves defending, even if we didn’t like it before. I thought again of the hunger that lived in Jud, and what Tween might see of it with her newly opened eyes.
“Jud—”
“I’m married,” he blurted.
I sat very still. I don’t think my face did anything at all.
“It was the right thing for me to do,” he said, almost angrily. “Don’t you see? You know what my problem is—it was you who found it for me. I was looking for something that should belong to me … or something to belong to.”
“Flower,” I said.
“Of course. Who else? Listen, that girl’s got trouble, too. What do you suppose blocks her from taking her certificate? She doesn’t think she’s
worthy
of it.”
My, I said. Fortunately, I said it to myself.
Jud said, “No matter what happens, I’ve done the right thing. If I can help her get her certificate, we’ll go Out together, and that’s what we’re here for. If I can’t help her do that, but find that she fillsthat place in me that’s been so empty for so long, well and good—that’s what
I’m
here for. We can go back to Earth and be happy.”
“You’re quite sure of all this.”
“Sure I’m sure! Do you think I’d have gone ahead with the marriage if I weren’t sure?”
Sure you would, I thought. I said, “Congratulations, then. You know I wish you the best.”
He stood up uncertainly, started to
“I’d never tell you what to do about a thing like this, Tween. You know that. You’ve got to figure out your own answers. I can advise you to use those new-opened eyes of yours carefully, though. And don’t think that that man who lives in your heart doesn’t exist anywhere else. He does. Right here on this station, maybe. You just haven’t been able to see him before.”
“Who?”
“God, girl, don’t ask me that! Ask Tween next time you see her; no one will ever know for sure but Tween.”
“You’re so wise.…”
“Nah. I’m old enough to have made more mistakes than most people, that’s all, and I have a good memory.”
She rose shakily. I put out a hand and helped her. “You’re played out, Tween. Look—don’t go back yet. Hide out for a few days and get some rest and do some thinking. There’s a suite on this level. No one will bother you, and you’ll find everything there you need, including silence and privacy.”
“That would be good,” she said softly. “Thank you.”
“All right … listen. Mind if I send someone in to talk to you?”
“Talk? Who?”
“Let me play it as it comes.”
The ruby eyes sent a warm wave to me, and she smiled. I thought, I wish I was as confident of myself as she is of me. “It’s 412,” I said, “the third door to your left. Stay there as long as you want to. Come back when you feel like it.”
She came close to me and tried to say something. I thought for a second she was going to kiss me on the mouth. She didn’t; she kissed my hand. “I’ll swat your bottom!” I roared, flustered. “Git, now,dammit!” She laughed … she always had a bit of laughter tucked away in her, no matter what, bless her cotton head.…
As soon as she was gone, I turned to the annunciator and sent out a call for Judson.
Hell
, I thought,
you can try, can’t you?
Waiting, I thought about Judson’s hungry upward look, and that hole in his head … that quality of reachableness, and what happened when he was reached by the wrong thing. Lord, responsive people certainly make the worst damn fools of all!
He was there in minutes, looking flushed, excited, happy, and worried all at once. “Was on my way here when your call went out,” he said.
“Sit down, Jud. I have a small project in mind. Maybe you could help.”
He sat. I looked for just the right words to use. I couldn’t say anything about Flower. She had her hooks into him; if I said anything about her, he’d defend her. And one of the oldest phenomena in human relations is that we come to be very fond of the thing we find ourselves defending, even if we didn’t like it before. I thought again of the hunger that lived in Jud, and what Tween might see of it with her newly opened eyes.
“Jud—”
“I’m married,” he blurted.
I sat very still. I don’t think my face did anything at all.
“It was the right thing for me to do,” he said, almost angrily. “Don’t you see? You know what my problem is—it was you who found it for me. I was looking for something that should belong to me … or something to belong to.”
“Flower,” I said.
“Of course. Who else? Listen, that girl’s got trouble, too. What do you suppose blocks her from taking her certificate? She doesn’t think she’s
worthy
of it.”
My, I said. Fortunately, I said it to myself.
Jud said, “No matter what happens, I’ve done the right thing. If I can help her get her certificate, we’ll go Out together, and that’s what we’re here for. If I can’t help her do that, but find that she fillsthat place in me that’s been so empty for so long, well and good—that’s what
I’m
here for. We can go back to Earth and be happy.”
“You’re quite sure of all this.”
“Sure I’m sure! Do you think I’d have gone ahead with the marriage if I weren’t sure?”
Sure you would, I thought. I said, “Congratulations, then. You know I wish you the best.”
He stood up uncertainly, started to
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