Read Online Something Ive Been Meaning to Tell You by Alice Munro - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Alice Munro
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looking for a plane ride? I don’t start taking people up till tomorrow.” Then he looked again and said, “Oh, it’s you. I didn’t know you without your long dress on.”
My heart was knocking away, my tongue was dried up. I had to say something. But I couldn’t. My throat was closed and I was like a deaf-and-dumb.
“Did you want a ride? Sit down. Have a cigarette.”
I couldn’t even shake my head to say no, so he gave me one.
“Put it in your mouth or I can’t light it. It’s a good thing I’m used to shy ladies.”
I did. It wasn’t the first time I had smoked a cigarette, actually. My girl friend out home, Muriel Lower, used to steal them from her brother.
“Look at your hand shaking. Did you just want to have a chat, or what?”
In one burst I said, “I wisht you wouldn’t say anything about that dress.”
“What dress? Oh, the long dress.”
“It’s Mrs. Peebles’.”
“Whose?” Oh, the lady you work for? Is that it? She wasn’t home so you got dressed up in her dress, eh? You got dressed up and played queen. I don’t blame you. You’re not smoking that cigarette right. Don’t just puff. Draw it in. Did nobody ever show you how to inhale? Are you scared I’ll tell on you? Is that it?”
I was so ashamed at having to ask him to connive this way I couldn’t nod. I just looked at him and he saw
yes
.
“Well I won’t. I won’t in the slightest way mention it or embarrass you. I give you my word of honor.”
Then he changed the subject, to help me out, seeing I couldn’t even thank him.
“What do you think of this sign?”
It was a board sign lying practically at my feet.
SEE THE WORLD FROM THE SKY. ADULTS $1.00 , CHILDREN 50¢ . QUALIFIED PILOT .
“My old sign was getting pretty beat up, I thought I’d make a new one. That’s what I’ve been doing with my time today.”
The lettering wasn’t all that handsome, I thought. I could have done a better one in half an hour.
“I’m not an expert at sign making.”
“It’s very good,” I said.
“I don’t need it for publicity, word of mouth is usually enough. I turned away two carloads tonight. I felt like taking it easy. I didn’t tell them ladies were dropping in to visit me.”
Now I remembered the children and I was scared again, in case one of them had waked up and called me and I wasn’t there.
“Do you have to go so soon?”
I remembered some manners. “Thank you for the cigarette.”
“Don’t forget. You have my word of honor.”
I tore off across the fairgrounds, scared I’d see the car heading home from town. My sense of time was mixed up, I didn’t know how long I’d been out of the house. But it was all right, it wasn’t late, the children were asleep. I got in bed myself and lay thinking what a lucky end to the day, after all, and among things to be grateful for I could be grateful Loretta Bird hadn’t been the one who caught me.
The yard and borders didn’t get trampled, it wasn’t as bad as that. All the same it seemed very public, around the house. The sign was on the fairgrounds gate. People came mostly after supper but a good many in the afternoon, too. The Bird children all came without fifty cents between them and hung on the gate. We got used to the excitement of the plane coming in and taking off, it wasn’t excitement any more. I never went over, after that one time, but would see him when he came to get his water. I would be out on the steps doing sitting-down work, like preparing vegetables, if I could.
“Why don’t you come over? I’ll take you up in my plane.”
“I’m saving my money,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else.
“For what? For getting married?”
I shook my head.
“I’ll take you up for free if you come sometime when it’s slack. I thought you would come, and have another cigarette.”
I made a face to hush him, because you never could tell when the children would be sneaking around the porch, or Mrs. Peebles herself
My heart was knocking away, my tongue was dried up. I had to say something. But I couldn’t. My throat was closed and I was like a deaf-and-dumb.
“Did you want a ride? Sit down. Have a cigarette.”
I couldn’t even shake my head to say no, so he gave me one.
“Put it in your mouth or I can’t light it. It’s a good thing I’m used to shy ladies.”
I did. It wasn’t the first time I had smoked a cigarette, actually. My girl friend out home, Muriel Lower, used to steal them from her brother.
“Look at your hand shaking. Did you just want to have a chat, or what?”
In one burst I said, “I wisht you wouldn’t say anything about that dress.”
“What dress? Oh, the long dress.”
“It’s Mrs. Peebles’.”
“Whose?” Oh, the lady you work for? Is that it? She wasn’t home so you got dressed up in her dress, eh? You got dressed up and played queen. I don’t blame you. You’re not smoking that cigarette right. Don’t just puff. Draw it in. Did nobody ever show you how to inhale? Are you scared I’ll tell on you? Is that it?”
I was so ashamed at having to ask him to connive this way I couldn’t nod. I just looked at him and he saw
yes
.
“Well I won’t. I won’t in the slightest way mention it or embarrass you. I give you my word of honor.”
Then he changed the subject, to help me out, seeing I couldn’t even thank him.
“What do you think of this sign?”
It was a board sign lying practically at my feet.
SEE THE WORLD FROM THE SKY. ADULTS $1.00 , CHILDREN 50¢ . QUALIFIED PILOT .
“My old sign was getting pretty beat up, I thought I’d make a new one. That’s what I’ve been doing with my time today.”
The lettering wasn’t all that handsome, I thought. I could have done a better one in half an hour.
“I’m not an expert at sign making.”
“It’s very good,” I said.
“I don’t need it for publicity, word of mouth is usually enough. I turned away two carloads tonight. I felt like taking it easy. I didn’t tell them ladies were dropping in to visit me.”
Now I remembered the children and I was scared again, in case one of them had waked up and called me and I wasn’t there.
“Do you have to go so soon?”
I remembered some manners. “Thank you for the cigarette.”
“Don’t forget. You have my word of honor.”
I tore off across the fairgrounds, scared I’d see the car heading home from town. My sense of time was mixed up, I didn’t know how long I’d been out of the house. But it was all right, it wasn’t late, the children were asleep. I got in bed myself and lay thinking what a lucky end to the day, after all, and among things to be grateful for I could be grateful Loretta Bird hadn’t been the one who caught me.
The yard and borders didn’t get trampled, it wasn’t as bad as that. All the same it seemed very public, around the house. The sign was on the fairgrounds gate. People came mostly after supper but a good many in the afternoon, too. The Bird children all came without fifty cents between them and hung on the gate. We got used to the excitement of the plane coming in and taking off, it wasn’t excitement any more. I never went over, after that one time, but would see him when he came to get his water. I would be out on the steps doing sitting-down work, like preparing vegetables, if I could.
“Why don’t you come over? I’ll take you up in my plane.”
“I’m saving my money,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else.
“For what? For getting married?”
I shook my head.
“I’ll take you up for free if you come sometime when it’s slack. I thought you would come, and have another cigarette.”
I made a face to hush him, because you never could tell when the children would be sneaking around the porch, or Mrs. Peebles herself
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