Dunfords Travels Everywheres by William Melvin Kelley

Author:William Melvin Kelley [Kelley, William Melvin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2020-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

19

HE FELT FEATHERY-LIGHT, wondered if he still slept, then decided he did not care. Dream or not, she stood there—and he began to wave his arms and shout her name. He loved saying it: Wendy, again. “Wendy!”

Wally followed, suggesting that Chig ask for her autograph.

“Why, hello, Chig.” She looked down at him, raised her hand. She had tanned more deeply than he remembered her; perhaps she had spent the ten months on the Spanish islands. If he had concentrated on Spain, he might have found her. But he had found her anyway.

“How’ve you been?” He cupped his mouth, shouted up at her. The sun on her orange shorts made him squint.

“Go on ask her, Mr. Dunford. I bet she’ll give you one.”

Wendy had spoken at the same time; he had not heard her answer. Except for the orange ribbon, she had not tied her hair. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m fine. And would you buy me a drink?” She nodded, directing his answer.

He began to nod his head. “All right. Where can we meet?”

To speak to her taxed his mind; looking almost overcame him: she leaned over the railing, her hair glistening, her face an oval sun, warming him in its dark glow, her eyes wide-set, set deep and dark-brown, her nose broad at the bridge, a trifle hooked, her mouth, her lips full, talking now: “Did you hear me? I’ll come down there, to the third-class lounge.”

“All right. All right.” He raised his wrist, tapped his watch. “What time?”

“Four o’clock?”

“Good.” He wondered what he would do for the next three hours, waiting.

“See you then.” She wiggled her fingers, stepped back from the railing.

“See you, Wendy.”

“She didn’t hear you.” Wally owned buck-teeth, two little ivory doors set in his face of freckled skin. Two days before, he had told Chig that in his town some kids called him Red. “Did you hear me, Mr. Dunford? She didn’t hear you.”

Chig smiled. “I know.”

“You met her before, Mr. Dunford?”

He shook his head. “I’m not sure, Wally.”

“Huh?” His mouth opened slightly. “Hey, you want a drink? Alcohol’s real cheap on this boat. Me and my girl got really crashed last night.”

Chig picked his comment carefully. “I didn’t know you had a girl, Wally.”

“Sure. We’re on the same TYO Tour. We went to the same school, but I didn’t meet her until we both happened to be at TYO’s Upstate Fun-For-All in Gully City.”

Chig felt confused. “I didn’t know you were on a tour.” He would have to arrange anew his impressions of Wally. “How many are you?”

“Seventy, counting Mr. Oglethrope.”

“Seventy? I thought you were travelling alone, Wally.”

“With my Dad? He got real mad when I even first asked him about going to Europe. With TYO. Even though he’s in it.” Wally paused, opened his eyes with a smile. “Hey, would you like to meet my girl? Just as long as Mr. Oglethrope doesn’t catch us.”

Chig wondered whether Wally wanted to tell him something, confess, seek advice or comfort. “Doing what?”

“Huh?” The question surprised Wally, made him shrug.

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