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Authors: Patricia Highsmith
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you’ve no right—”
“I have a right to an explanation!”
“Greg, I have no intentions with Jenny,” Robert put in.
“No?” from Greg.
“I’m sure she has none with me,” Robert said. “I don’t know what you’ve heard.”
Greg’s Adam’s apple moved up and down. “How long have you known him, Jenny?”
Jenny looked straight at Greg and said, “I don’t think I care to answer that.”
“Susie gave me an earful,” Greg said.
“I can’t help that. I haven’t said anything to Susie. I don’t know where she got it from, but I think she ought to mind her own business.” Jenny was still sitting in her chair. Her hand gripped the chair back.
“Well, that’s what I’m doing, minding mine,” Greg said. “I don’t think a girl who’s engaged has secret dates with another guy she’s stuck on, said to be stuck on, at least without telling me about it.”
“Who said that? Susie? I haven’t said a thing to Susie.”
“I guess Susie can tell.”
Robert passed a hand across his forehead. “Greg, what Susie said is wrong, and I’ll also promise you I won’t see Jenny again if it’s going to cause all this trouble.”
“
If
it’s going to cause!”
Robert got his coat from the closet.
“Where’re you from, Mr. Forester? Where’d you come from?”
“I live in Langley,” Robert said.
“You’re quite a ways from home.”
“Greg, I don’t like the way you’re talking,” Jenny said. “You’re being insulting to a guest of mine.”
“I’ve got a right to know why a girl I’m engaged to refuses to see me for weeks and weeks and wants to break off the engagement,” Greg answered.
“I’m not the cause,” Robert said tersely as he pulled on his rubbers. “Goodbye, Jenny. And thank you. Goodbye,” he said to Greg.
Jenny had gotten up. “My apologies—for my rude friend. I’m awfully sorry, Robert.”
“That’s O.K.,” Robert said, smiling, and went out. He heard Greg’s voice behind him, through the closed door: “All right,
who
is he?”
One more blunder, Robert thought as he drove off. But perhaps it was all to the good. Greg would lay down the law to Jenny now, and she wouldn’t be able to see him or call him. Robert reproached himself for seeing the girl at all today. He should have said a firm “No, thanks” when she proposed the ski outing. Greg’s face was young but rugged—a lumpy, strong nose; thick black brows; big, knuckly hands. He had been wearing the gray Glen plaid suit Robert had seen him in before—a grease spot on one lapel, Robert had noticed today—and his shirt had been pulled out in a fold between vest bottom and trousers waist. He might have had a lot of Irish blood.
6
Robert’s telephone rang when he had been home a quarter of an hour.
“Hello, Robert, this is Jenny. Greg’s gone. Oh, gosh, Robert, I’m sorry about today.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry it spoiled your good dinner.”
“Oh, we can do that again some time. Listen, Robert, I’d like to see you. It’s early. Only seven-thirty. Can I come to your place? I just talked to Greg. He knows I’m not going to marry him, so he has no right to interfere with what I do or who I see. I think he finally realized I meant it.”
And Greg would probably be checking on her to see if she went out this evening, Robert thought. Or even watching her house so he could follow her car if she went out. “Jenny, you still sound upset, so why don’t you stay in this evening?”
She groaned. “Please let me see you. Can’t I come to your place?” She was determined.
Well, there was one way of ending it, he thought, and he would do it. He said yes, she could come, and he told her the two streets the Camelot Apartments were on in Langley. She said she would leave right away.
Five minutes later, the telephone rang again, and he hoped it was Jenny, changing her mind.
This time it was Nickie. She was at a cocktail party and she was a little drunk, she said,
“I have a right to an explanation!”
“Greg, I have no intentions with Jenny,” Robert put in.
“No?” from Greg.
“I’m sure she has none with me,” Robert said. “I don’t know what you’ve heard.”
Greg’s Adam’s apple moved up and down. “How long have you known him, Jenny?”
Jenny looked straight at Greg and said, “I don’t think I care to answer that.”
“Susie gave me an earful,” Greg said.
“I can’t help that. I haven’t said anything to Susie. I don’t know where she got it from, but I think she ought to mind her own business.” Jenny was still sitting in her chair. Her hand gripped the chair back.
“Well, that’s what I’m doing, minding mine,” Greg said. “I don’t think a girl who’s engaged has secret dates with another guy she’s stuck on, said to be stuck on, at least without telling me about it.”
“Who said that? Susie? I haven’t said a thing to Susie.”
“I guess Susie can tell.”
Robert passed a hand across his forehead. “Greg, what Susie said is wrong, and I’ll also promise you I won’t see Jenny again if it’s going to cause all this trouble.”
“
If
it’s going to cause!”
Robert got his coat from the closet.
“Where’re you from, Mr. Forester? Where’d you come from?”
“I live in Langley,” Robert said.
“You’re quite a ways from home.”
“Greg, I don’t like the way you’re talking,” Jenny said. “You’re being insulting to a guest of mine.”
“I’ve got a right to know why a girl I’m engaged to refuses to see me for weeks and weeks and wants to break off the engagement,” Greg answered.
“I’m not the cause,” Robert said tersely as he pulled on his rubbers. “Goodbye, Jenny. And thank you. Goodbye,” he said to Greg.
Jenny had gotten up. “My apologies—for my rude friend. I’m awfully sorry, Robert.”
“That’s O.K.,” Robert said, smiling, and went out. He heard Greg’s voice behind him, through the closed door: “All right,
who
is he?”
One more blunder, Robert thought as he drove off. But perhaps it was all to the good. Greg would lay down the law to Jenny now, and she wouldn’t be able to see him or call him. Robert reproached himself for seeing the girl at all today. He should have said a firm “No, thanks” when she proposed the ski outing. Greg’s face was young but rugged—a lumpy, strong nose; thick black brows; big, knuckly hands. He had been wearing the gray Glen plaid suit Robert had seen him in before—a grease spot on one lapel, Robert had noticed today—and his shirt had been pulled out in a fold between vest bottom and trousers waist. He might have had a lot of Irish blood.
6
Robert’s telephone rang when he had been home a quarter of an hour.
“Hello, Robert, this is Jenny. Greg’s gone. Oh, gosh, Robert, I’m sorry about today.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m sorry it spoiled your good dinner.”
“Oh, we can do that again some time. Listen, Robert, I’d like to see you. It’s early. Only seven-thirty. Can I come to your place? I just talked to Greg. He knows I’m not going to marry him, so he has no right to interfere with what I do or who I see. I think he finally realized I meant it.”
And Greg would probably be checking on her to see if she went out this evening, Robert thought. Or even watching her house so he could follow her car if she went out. “Jenny, you still sound upset, so why don’t you stay in this evening?”
She groaned. “Please let me see you. Can’t I come to your place?” She was determined.
Well, there was one way of ending it, he thought, and he would do it. He said yes, she could come, and he told her the two streets the Camelot Apartments were on in Langley. She said she would leave right away.
Five minutes later, the telephone rang again, and he hoped it was Jenny, changing her mind.
This time it was Nickie. She was at a cocktail party and she was a little drunk, she said,
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