The Blue Guitar by Alex Austin

The Blue Guitar by Alex Austin

Author:Alex Austin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Frederick Fell, Inc.
Published: 1964-08-21T16:00:00+00:00


two

Miss Smith stood in the kitchen doorway with the shyness of a girl approaching her first party.

Mrs. Orlovski, of course, was the first to see her, and she dropped into the sink two spoons she had in her hand and wiping her hands on her fresh white apron, she went to usher Miss Smith in, exclaiming in a round, thoroughly joyful voice, “Miss Smith, it’s so very good of you to join us.”

Sygen looked over from the pantry where she had gone to get the butter dish out of the huge refrigerator that always reminded her of a pregnant beast.

“Here, here,” Mrs. Orlovski was saying, taking Miss Smith’s arm, “you just come right in and sit down. Everything’s ready.”

Miss Smith looked over at Jean, who was already seated. He had smiled when he had heard her come in, and now she smiled briefly at him, then turned quickly to smile vaguely at Sygen, who came to the table and placed the butter down.

“Perhaps I was very silly to eat all alone in my room,” Miss Smith said.

“Not silly at all,” Mrs. Orlovski was quick to put in. “Why, a person is certainly entitled to their privacy. I’ve always believed that.”

“You’re very kind,” Miss Smith said to Mrs. Orlovski.

“Welcome,” Jean said with the same smile, which Miss Smith immediately returned, her eyes shining with a desperately naïve kind of joy as she sat down opposite him. She said, “Thank you.”

“I’ve made the chicken you like so much,” said Mrs. Orlovski. “And Sygen has made her famous Caesar salad.”

“Mother!” Sygen said softly, by way of embarrassed reproach.

“Your mother is right, Sygen,” Miss Smith said. “Your Caesar salad should be famous. I’ve tasted many Caesar salads, and yours is by far the best.”

Sygen smiled weakly and said, “Thank you,” and felt an unexpected rush of anger flush her cheeks.

“Here, here,” Mrs. Orlovski said as she brought the large red casserole to the table and set it down carefully near her place, where Sygen had piled the plates. “Voila, la cuisine,” she said with a flourish.

Miss Smith laughed and Mrs. Orlovski laughed with her just as soon as she saw that her little joke had been successful; Miss Smith often laughed or smiled for no other reason than to fill a painful vacancy in herself.

Sygen sat down beside Jean and started to unfold her napkin. But Mrs. Orlovski said, “Sygen, you’ve forgotten our very special treat.”

Sygen seemed puzzled a moment as Mrs. Orlovski continued to stare, smiling, at her and then she remembered and went to the pantry to fetch the bottle of rosé wine her mother had put on ice three hours ago. When she set the bottle down on the table, Mrs. Orlovski turned to Miss Smith and said, “I’ve always been a great believer in the French manner of dining. They seem to make such an important affair out of every meal, and that’s how I think it should be, don’t you?”

“Always,” Miss Smith said.

“The French are famous for making snobs out of Americans,” Jean said, glancing over at Miss Smith.



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