In the Great Green Room by Amy Gary

Author:Amy Gary
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Flatiron Books

Thirteen

1943

Put a he on a he

Or a she on a she

And it never adds up to 1 2 3.

Put a he on a she

Or a she on a he

And before you can even say Jack Robinson

You’ve made 3.

He times she divided by he

Then take away she

And now what have you left?

A he or a she.

And what’s this strange geometry

Within the heart of you and me?

This place apart

This secret heart

When all is what it seems to be.

“HE AND SHE”

White Freesias

Michael rented two apartments on East End Avenue. The flats were at the end of a hall across from each other, and she planned to live in one. The other she intended to use as a writing studio. She planned a New Year’s party at her new apartments and fretfully waited for guests to arrive. If all went well—if people came—then her reputation had survived the vicious article. She wasn’t sure if Tweed’s influence could sway the Social Register to remove her from the list, but this party would give her an indication.

The next day, she called Margaret, ecstatic that the newspaper piece actually served to make her more attractive to the men in her circle. Among the women, it elevated her mystique. She was, without a doubt, still part of the social set that mattered so much to her. Finances, though, would be a problem. She asked Margaret if she wanted to give up her place in the Village and move into the apartment Michael was going to use as a writing studio.

The new apartments were only two blocks from Michael’s Gracie Square apartment but were a world away from Margaret’s bohemian enclave in Greenwich Village. She would only have to pay Michael for half of the rent, the same amount she was already paying for her old apartment. Unlike her ancient building in the Village, this one had hot and cold running water. An arched marble fireplace graced the room. But a wall of windows looking out on the East River as it curved around the building was the most dramatic feature in the space. Having apartments at the end of the hall gave the women similarly spectacular views that glistened in the day and sparkled at night as the boats moved up and down the water.

Michael’s proximity meant frequent interruptions. Michael simply couldn’t force herself to sit down and work. One day she claimed to have gotten a great deal done, but Margaret was surprised to see that the work she had done was party planning, not poetry.

Michael’s inability to concentrate had become a problem for Margaret. Lunches at the Plaza, Diana’s latest drama, and a busy social calendar were easy distractions. If Margaret didn’t get her writing done between eight in the morning, when she woke, and ten, when Michael stirred, then it was unlikely she would write at all that day. She needed a place away from Michael’s hubbub. Deadlines were upon her.

She remembered a book of New York architecture Tweed had that included a photo of a tiny antebellum farmhouse nestled among tall buildings somewhere on the Upper East Side.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.