stand up for your rights!" Erica said. "Refuse to go anywhere but the American Academy … "
"Lay off!" Michael said, suddenly, and something in his voice made Erica stop. All four of us studied our menus then, or pretended to, and the silence in our booth was uncomfortable. Finally the waitress came along and said, "Okay … what'll it be?" Later, when Michael and I were at my house, alone, I said, "I've never seen Artie that way … he was so depressed."
"I know."
"Usually he's all fun and games."
"That's his public image."
"Is the private Artie different?"
"Just sometimes … "
"Did you hear him jump on everything I said?"
"I heard … but I've seen him that way before. Hell be okay in a couple of days. You've got to understand how he feels about school … he really hates it I don't think he'll make it through one year of college, let alone four … "
"I didn't know … "
"It wasn't your fault."
"Do you think he and Erica are good for each other?"
"That's not my business … besides, every girl at school has the hots for him since the play and he's not interested … that must prove something."
"Would you be … interested … "
"Oh, sure. I only go with you because I can't get anything better." He pulled me down next to him. "We can't do anything to help Artie, right now."
"I suppose not … "
"We can help Ralph, though," he said, moving my hand to his belt buckle. On Thursday Michael called to say that Sharon and Ike were taking some time off to go skiing and his parents said, yes, he could miss a week of school, because this was a special occasion, and the three of them were leaving the next morning and wouldn't be back until the following Sunday.
"Ten days?" I said. "Two entire weekends?"
"It's very important, Kath … I'm working towards my instructor's pin … you know that."
"I know … I know … "
That first weekend my parents didn't leave me alone for a minute. You'd have thought I was a widow. They took me out to dinner on Friday night, and on Saturday Jamie and I went shopping. Then Grandma called and asked me to stay overnight at her apartment so I packed a bag and Mom and Dad drove me to New York.
On Sunday morning Grandpa and I went for a walk in Central Park and that afternoon, Grandma took me to see a revival of Gone With the Wind , her all-time favorite picture, which she has seen sixteen times, so far. After it, when she asked what I thought of Clark Gable, and I told her that his ears stuck out, she shook her head and said, "I'm disappointed in you, Kath." But I knew she was just teasing. The school week dragged on. Jamie said I looked like a sick dog—well, that's how I felt. At dinner one night my father asked me if I'm going steady with Michael.
"We don't call it going steady ," I told him. "But we are going together ."
"Does that mean you can't see anyone else?" he asked.
"That means I don't want to see anyone else."
"I went steady once," Mom said, stirring a teaspoon of honey into her tea. "And I wore his school ring on a chain around my neck. His name was Seymour Mandelbaum."
"Seymour Mandelbaum?" Jamie said and cracked up.
"I was a junior and he was a senior," Mom told us. "I wonder what happened to him." I got the feeling that Mom was talking about her old boyfriend so my father would see that it didn't matter about Michael and me going together.
Then Dad surprised me by saying, "I went steady twice."
"You?" I asked.
"Once when I was in tenth grade … I gave her my I.D. bracelet … and once when I was a freshman in college."
He and Mom started reminiscing about their college days. I didn't tell them that with Michael and me it's different. That it's not just some fifties fad, like going steady. That with us it is love—real, true honest-to-go love.
The next morning, at breakfast, Dad said, "I still think you'd be happier if you weren't tied down to one boy."
"You don't understand," I explained. "I'm not unhappy. I just miss him."
"What about next year?"
"Lay off!" Michael said, suddenly, and something in his voice made Erica stop. All four of us studied our menus then, or pretended to, and the silence in our booth was uncomfortable. Finally the waitress came along and said, "Okay … what'll it be?" Later, when Michael and I were at my house, alone, I said, "I've never seen Artie that way … he was so depressed."
"I know."
"Usually he's all fun and games."
"That's his public image."
"Is the private Artie different?"
"Just sometimes … "
"Did you hear him jump on everything I said?"
"I heard … but I've seen him that way before. Hell be okay in a couple of days. You've got to understand how he feels about school … he really hates it I don't think he'll make it through one year of college, let alone four … "
"I didn't know … "
"It wasn't your fault."
"Do you think he and Erica are good for each other?"
"That's not my business … besides, every girl at school has the hots for him since the play and he's not interested … that must prove something."
"Would you be … interested … "
"Oh, sure. I only go with you because I can't get anything better." He pulled me down next to him. "We can't do anything to help Artie, right now."
"I suppose not … "
"We can help Ralph, though," he said, moving my hand to his belt buckle. On Thursday Michael called to say that Sharon and Ike were taking some time off to go skiing and his parents said, yes, he could miss a week of school, because this was a special occasion, and the three of them were leaving the next morning and wouldn't be back until the following Sunday.
"Ten days?" I said. "Two entire weekends?"
"It's very important, Kath … I'm working towards my instructor's pin … you know that."
"I know … I know … "
That first weekend my parents didn't leave me alone for a minute. You'd have thought I was a widow. They took me out to dinner on Friday night, and on Saturday Jamie and I went shopping. Then Grandma called and asked me to stay overnight at her apartment so I packed a bag and Mom and Dad drove me to New York.
On Sunday morning Grandpa and I went for a walk in Central Park and that afternoon, Grandma took me to see a revival of Gone With the Wind , her all-time favorite picture, which she has seen sixteen times, so far. After it, when she asked what I thought of Clark Gable, and I told her that his ears stuck out, she shook her head and said, "I'm disappointed in you, Kath." But I knew she was just teasing. The school week dragged on. Jamie said I looked like a sick dog—well, that's how I felt. At dinner one night my father asked me if I'm going steady with Michael.
"We don't call it going steady ," I told him. "But we are going together ."
"Does that mean you can't see anyone else?" he asked.
"That means I don't want to see anyone else."
"I went steady once," Mom said, stirring a teaspoon of honey into her tea. "And I wore his school ring on a chain around my neck. His name was Seymour Mandelbaum."
"Seymour Mandelbaum?" Jamie said and cracked up.
"I was a junior and he was a senior," Mom told us. "I wonder what happened to him." I got the feeling that Mom was talking about her old boyfriend so my father would see that it didn't matter about Michael and me going together.
Then Dad surprised me by saying, "I went steady twice."
"You?" I asked.
"Once when I was in tenth grade … I gave her my I.D. bracelet … and once when I was a freshman in college."
He and Mom started reminiscing about their college days. I didn't tell them that with Michael and me it's different. That it's not just some fifties fad, like going steady. That with us it is love—real, true honest-to-go love.
The next morning, at breakfast, Dad said, "I still think you'd be happier if you weren't tied down to one boy."
"You don't understand," I explained. "I'm not unhappy. I just miss him."
"What about next year?"
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