按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃They taste like the sea；〃 he said。
〃Let's go to sleep out here。〃
〃Could you？〃
〃It's too hard to keep my back arched。〃
〃Let's swim way out and then swim in。〃
。 。
〃All right。〃
They swam far out； further than they had ever swum before； far enough so they could see past the next headland and on out until they could see the broken purple line of the mountains behind the forest。 They lay there in the water and watched the coast。 Then they swam in slowly。 They stopped to rest when they lost the mountains and again when they lost the headland and then swam slowly and strongly on in past the entrance to the cove and pulled themselves out on the beach。
〃Are you tired？〃 David asked。
〃Very；〃 Marita said。 She had never swum that far before。
〃Are you still pounding？〃
〃Oh I'm fine。〃
David walked up the beach and over to the rock and found one of the bottles of Tavel and two towels。
〃You look like a seal；〃 David said sitting down beside her on the sand。
He handed her the Tavel and she drank from the bottle and handed it back。 He took a long drink and then on the smooth dry sand； stretched out in the sun； the lunch basket by them and the wine cool as they drank from the bottle； Marita said； 〃Catherine wouldn't have gotten tired。〃
〃The hell she wouldn't。 She never swam that far。〃
〃Truly？〃
〃We swam a long way； girl。 I was never out where we could see those backdrop mountains before。〃
〃All right；〃 she said。 〃There isn't anything we can do about her today so let's not think about it。 David？〃
〃Yes。〃
〃Do you still love me？〃
〃Yes。 Very much。〃
〃Perhaps I made a great mistake with you and you're just being kind to me。
〃You didn't make any mistakes and I'm not being kind to you。
Marita took a handful of radishes and ate them slowly and drank some wine。 The radishes were young and crisp and sharp in flavor。
〃You don't have to worry about working；〃 she said。 〃I know。 That will be all right。〃
〃Sure；〃 David said。
He cut one of the artichoke hearts up with the fork and ate a chunk swirled in the mustard sauce Madame had made。
〃May I have the Tavel？〃 Marita said。 She took a good swallow of the wine and set the bottle down by David putting its base firmly in the sand and leaning it against the basket。 〃Isn't it a good lunch Madame made； David？〃
〃It's an excellent lunch。 Did Aurol really give her a black eye？〃
〃Not a real one。〃
〃She has a bad tongue with him。〃
〃There's the difference in age and he was within his rights to hit her if she was insulting。 She said so。 At the end。 And she sent you messages。
'What messages？〃
〃Just loving messages。
〃She loves you；〃 David said。
〃No。 You stupid。 She's only on my side。〃
〃There aren't any sides anymore；〃 David said。
〃No；〃 Marita said。 〃And we didn't try to make sides。 It just happened。〃
〃It happened all right。〃 David handed her the jar with the cut up artichoke heart and the dressing and found the second bottle of Tavel。 It was still cool。 He took a long drink of the wine。 〃We've been burned out；〃 he said。 〃Crazy woman burned out the Bournes。〃
〃Are we the Bournes？〃
〃Sure。 We're the Bournes。 It may take a while to have the papers。 But that's what we are。 Do you want me to write it out？ I think I could write that。〃
243
〃You don't need to write it。〃
〃I'll write it in the sand；〃 David said。
They slept well and naturally through the late afternoon and when the sun was low Marita woke and saw David lying in the bed by her side。 His lips were closed and he was breathing very slowly and she looked at his face and his covered eyes that she had only seen lidded in sleep twice before and looked at his chest and his body with the arms straight by his sides。 She went over to the door of the bathroom and looked at herself in the full length mirror。 Then she smiled at the mirror。 When she was dressed she went out to the kitchen and talked with Madame。
Later； David was still asleep and she sat by him on the bed。 In the dusk his hair was whitish against his dark face； and she waited for him to wake。
They sat at the bar and were both drinking Haig Pinch and Perrier。 Marita was being very careful with her drink。 She said； 〃I think you should go to town every day and get the papers and have a drink and read by yourself。 I wish there was a club or a real cafe where you met your friends。〃
〃There isn't〃
〃Well； I think it would be good every day for you to be away from me for a while when you're not working。 You've been over run with girls。 I'm always going to see you have your men friends。 That's one thing very bad that Catherine did。〃
〃Not on purpose and it was my own fault。〃
〃Maybe that's true。 But do you think we'll have friends？ Good friends？〃
〃We each have one already。〃
〃Will we have others？〃
〃Maybe。〃
。
〃Will they take you away because they know more than I do？〃
〃They won't know more。
〃Will they come along young and new and fresh with new things and you be tired of me？〃
〃They won't and I won't be。〃
〃I'll kill them if they do。 I'm not going to give you away to anyone the way she did。〃
〃That's good。〃
〃I want you to have men friends and friends from the war and to shoot with and to play cards at the club。 But we don't have to have you have women friends； do we？ Fresh； new ones who will fall in love and really understand you and all that？〃
〃I don't run around with women。 You know that。〃
〃They are new all the time；〃 Marita said。 〃There are new ones every day。 No one can ever be sufficiently warned。 You most of all。〃
〃I love you；〃 David said； 〃and you're my partner too。 But take it easy。 Just be with me。
〃I'm with you。〃
〃I know it and I love to look at you and know you're here and that we'll sleep together and be happy。〃
In the dark； Marita lay against him and he felt her breasts against his chest and her arm behind his head and her hand touching him and lips against his。
〃I'm your girl；〃 she said in the dark。 〃Your girl。 No matter what I'm always your girl。 Your good girl who loves you。
〃Yes； my dearest love。 Sleep well。 Sleep well。〃
〃You go to sleep first；〃 Marita said； 〃and I'll be back in a minute。〃
He was asleep when she came back and she got in under the sheet and lay beside him。 He was sleeping on his right side and breathing softly and steadily。
Chapter Thirty
DAVID WOKE IN THE MORNING when the first light came in the window。 It was still gray outside and there were different pine trunks than the ones he usually woke to see and a longer gap beyond them toward the sea。 His right arm was stiff because he had slept on it。 Then； awake； he knew he was in a strange bed and he saw Marita lying sleeping by him。 He remembered everything and he looked at her lovingly and covered her fresh brown body with the sheet and then kissed her very lightly again and putting on his dressing gown walked out into the dew…wet early morning carrying the image of how she looked with him to his room。 He took a cold shower； shaved； put on a shirt and a pair of shorts and walked down to his working room。 He stopped at the door of Marita's room and opened it very carefully。 He stood and looked at her sleeping； and closed the door softly and went into the room where he worked。 He got out his pencils and a new cahier； sharpened five pencils and began to write the story of his father and the raid in the year of the Maji…Maji rebellion that had started with the trek across the bitter lake。 He
made the crossing now and completed the dreadful trek of the first day when the sunrise had caught them with the part that had to be done in the dark only half finished and the mirages already making as the heat became unbearable。 By the time the morning was well advanced and a strong fresh east breeze was blowing through the pines from the sea he had finished the night at the first camp under the fig trees where the water came down from the escarpment and was moving out of that camp in the early morning and up the long draw that led to the steep cut up onto the escarpment。
He found he knew much more about his father than when he had first written this story and he knew he could measure his progress by the small things which made his father more tactile and to have more dimensions than he had in the story before。 He was fortunate； just now； that his father was not a simple man。
David wrote steadily and well and the sentences that he had made before came to him complete and entire and he put them down； corrected them； and cut them as if he were going over proof。 Not a sentence was missing and there were many that he put down as they were returned to him without changing them。 By two o'clock he had recovered； corrected and improved what it had taken him five days to write originally。 He wrote on a while longer now and there was no sign that any of it would ever cease returning to him intact。
…END…