Calling Home
“Linda listened to him. I watched her listening, and realized as she sat chewing and smiling at my father’s jokes that my mother was a terrible listener. She wouldn’t even pretend to listen; as soon as she got even a little bit bored, she would give gigantic stage yawns and begin to give little hints like “For Christ’s sake, shut up.”
My father was happy. Linda was happy. “We’d make a nice family, don’t you think?” my father said, undoing his tie when we had returned home.
It was a trap, a frien...dly trap, but I stood away from it. I formulated several stupid replies, but I could not make any of them.
“Of course, you don’t have to decide anything now. It’s not fair for me to back you against the ropes.” He moved the brush on the dresser. “Did you like her?”
He said it like a man who was sure of himself, knowing perfectly well that anyone would like this woman, and that the question had only one, very obvious answer. But he was vulnerable, too, and wanted to make some sort of point by asking the question.MoreLess
My father was happy. Linda was happy. “We’d make a nice family, don’t you think?” my father said, undoing his tie when we had returned home.
It was a trap, a frien...dly trap, but I stood away from it. I formulated several stupid replies, but I could not make any of them.
“Of course, you don’t have to decide anything now. It’s not fair for me to back you against the ropes.” He moved the brush on the dresser. “Did you like her?”
He said it like a man who was sure of himself, knowing perfectly well that anyone would like this woman, and that the question had only one, very obvious answer. But he was vulnerable, too, and wanted to make some sort of point by asking the question.MoreLess
Read book Calling Home for free
Write Review:
User Reviews: