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Authors: Patricia Highsmith
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had no charm for him that evening—and seeing Mary Meller looking rather detached, he took another portion of ice for her. Mary accepted it with a warm, friendly smile.
"Evelyn and Phil want us to cool off with a dip over at their house after the dance is over. Can you and Melinda come?" Mary asked him.
"We didn't bring our suits," Vic said, though that hadn't stopped them on other occasions when they had jumped into the Cowan pool naked. Melinda had, at least. Vic was a little shy about such things.
"Drop by your house for your suits—or not?" Mary said gaily "It's such a dark night, who cares?"
"I'll ask Melinda," Vic said.
"She looks lovely tonight, doesn't she? Vic—" Mary touched his arm and he leaned a little closer. "Vic, you're not feeling uncomfortable tonight, are you? I wanted you to know that all your real friends are still your friends, the same as ever. I don't know what you've heard tonight, but I hope nothing unpleasant."
"Didn't hear a thing!" Vic assured her, smiling.
"I talked to Evelyn. She and Phil feel the same as we do. 'We' know you just said it as a—as a joke, in spite of what people like the Wilsons are trying to say."
"What're they trying to say?"
"It's not her, it's him. He thinks you're odd. Well, we're all odd, aren't we?" Mary said, with a gay laugh. "He must be looking for another plot for a story. I think he's 'very' odd!"
Vic knew Mary well enough to know that she was more concerned than she was pretending to be. "What is he saying?" Vic asked.
"Oh, he's saying—that you don't react normally. I can imagine what Ralph Gosden's been saying. I mean the fuel he's added to the fire. Oh, Don Wilson's just saying that you ought to be watched and that you're very mysterious." Mary whispered the last word, smiling. "I told him we'd all had the opportunity of watching you for the past nine or ten years, and that you're one of the finest, sweetest, most unmysterious men I've ever known!"
"Mrs. Meller, may I have this dance with you?" Vic asked. "Do you think your husband would mind?"
"Why, Vic! I can't believe it!"
He took her ice plate and carried it with his own to the refreshment stall a few feet away, then returned and swept Mary out onto the floor to the music of a waltz. The waltz had always been his favorite dance. He waltzed very well. He saw Melinda notice him and stop short with surprise. Horace and Evelyn were looking at him, too. Vic shortened his steps so that he would not look silly, because a joyous exuberance had filled him as if a long-repressed desire had burst forth. He felt he could have flown with Mary, if it had not been for the other couples that cluttered the floor around him.
"Why, you're a wonderful dancer!" Mary said. "Why've you been hiding it all these years?"
Vic did not try to answer.
Long after the dance was over Vic felt a tingling exhilaration is if he had achieved a triumph. When Melinda had finished a lance, he went over to her, made a little bow and said, "May I, Melinda?"
She hid her surprise almost immediately by closing her eyes, turning her head away from him. "Oh, darling, I'm tired," she said.
On their way home, when Melinda asked, "What inspired you to dance tonight?" he was able to pass it off, to forestall her kidding him with "I thought I might as well baffle people by being inconsistent as well as odd. I'm supposed never to dance, you know."
Melinda hadn't been in the mood for the Cowans' swimming pool, though she had declined their invitation very graciously.
"I thought you were charming tonight," Vic said to her at home.
"I have to put myself out to counteract some of the damage you've done," she replied. "I worked hard tonight."
Vic
"Evelyn and Phil want us to cool off with a dip over at their house after the dance is over. Can you and Melinda come?" Mary asked him.
"We didn't bring our suits," Vic said, though that hadn't stopped them on other occasions when they had jumped into the Cowan pool naked. Melinda had, at least. Vic was a little shy about such things.
"Drop by your house for your suits—or not?" Mary said gaily "It's such a dark night, who cares?"
"I'll ask Melinda," Vic said.
"She looks lovely tonight, doesn't she? Vic—" Mary touched his arm and he leaned a little closer. "Vic, you're not feeling uncomfortable tonight, are you? I wanted you to know that all your real friends are still your friends, the same as ever. I don't know what you've heard tonight, but I hope nothing unpleasant."
"Didn't hear a thing!" Vic assured her, smiling.
"I talked to Evelyn. She and Phil feel the same as we do. 'We' know you just said it as a—as a joke, in spite of what people like the Wilsons are trying to say."
"What're they trying to say?"
"It's not her, it's him. He thinks you're odd. Well, we're all odd, aren't we?" Mary said, with a gay laugh. "He must be looking for another plot for a story. I think he's 'very' odd!"
Vic knew Mary well enough to know that she was more concerned than she was pretending to be. "What is he saying?" Vic asked.
"Oh, he's saying—that you don't react normally. I can imagine what Ralph Gosden's been saying. I mean the fuel he's added to the fire. Oh, Don Wilson's just saying that you ought to be watched and that you're very mysterious." Mary whispered the last word, smiling. "I told him we'd all had the opportunity of watching you for the past nine or ten years, and that you're one of the finest, sweetest, most unmysterious men I've ever known!"
"Mrs. Meller, may I have this dance with you?" Vic asked. "Do you think your husband would mind?"
"Why, Vic! I can't believe it!"
He took her ice plate and carried it with his own to the refreshment stall a few feet away, then returned and swept Mary out onto the floor to the music of a waltz. The waltz had always been his favorite dance. He waltzed very well. He saw Melinda notice him and stop short with surprise. Horace and Evelyn were looking at him, too. Vic shortened his steps so that he would not look silly, because a joyous exuberance had filled him as if a long-repressed desire had burst forth. He felt he could have flown with Mary, if it had not been for the other couples that cluttered the floor around him.
"Why, you're a wonderful dancer!" Mary said. "Why've you been hiding it all these years?"
Vic did not try to answer.
Long after the dance was over Vic felt a tingling exhilaration is if he had achieved a triumph. When Melinda had finished a lance, he went over to her, made a little bow and said, "May I, Melinda?"
She hid her surprise almost immediately by closing her eyes, turning her head away from him. "Oh, darling, I'm tired," she said.
On their way home, when Melinda asked, "What inspired you to dance tonight?" he was able to pass it off, to forestall her kidding him with "I thought I might as well baffle people by being inconsistent as well as odd. I'm supposed never to dance, you know."
Melinda hadn't been in the mood for the Cowans' swimming pool, though she had declined their invitation very graciously.
"I thought you were charming tonight," Vic said to her at home.
"I have to put myself out to counteract some of the damage you've done," she replied. "I worked hard tonight."
Vic
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