The Graduate (15 page)

“Because it’s not closed.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No it’s not,” Benjamin said, closing his hands around the bottom part of the steering wheel. “I have no intention of following your orders, Mrs. Robinson.”

“Benjamin?”

“Why don’t you tell me exactly what your objections are, Mrs.

Robinson. Instead of—”

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes I do.”

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“Well Benjamin?” she said. “Elaine is a very simple girl. She is sweet and she is uncomplicated.”

“Mrs. Robinson?”

“But she is thoroughly honest, Benjamin. She is thoroughly sincere.”

She shook her head. “And Benjamin?” she said. “You are none of these things.”

“Mrs. Robinson?”

“What.”

“What time does she usually get up.”

“Well Benjamin, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“I think I do,” Benjamin said. “I think we have a date and I think she’s expecting me.”

“I’ll explain to her that you couldn’t make it.”

“No you won’t.”

“Benjamin?” she said, turning suddenly in her seat. “You are to go home now. You are to go home and never come back to this house.”

“Go to hell.”

“Don’t be cute, Benjamin.”

“I’m not, Mrs. Robinson.”

“Because I’ll make things most unpleasant if I have to.”

“You will.”

“Yes I will.”

Benjamin nodded. “Could I ask you what you plan to do, Mrs.

Robinson?”

“Do I have to tell you?”

“Yes you do.”

“Well Benjamin?” she said, looking at the side of his face. “I’ll tell Elaine everything I have to in order to keep her away from you.”

It was quiet for several moments.

“I don’t believe you,” Benjamin said finally.

“Then you’d better start believing me.”

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“I don’t think you could do that, Mrs. Robinson. I don’t think you could tell her that.”

“I hope I don’t have to.”

Benjamin turned suddenly in his seat. “You can’t do that,” he said, taking her wrist. “You can’t do that, Mrs. Robinson.”

She stared back at him.

“Mrs. Robinson,” he said, shaking his head, “I’m asking you not to do that. I’m asking you please not to do that.”

“Go home now,” she said. She pulled her wrist away.

“Mrs. Robinson, don’t wreck it. I’m asking you please not to wreck it!”

Benjamin stared at her several moments, then turned suddenly toward the door. He grappled for the handle and threw it open. Then he jumped quickly out into the street. A car swerved around him, honking its horn. Without closing the door of his car he hurried back up the street to the Robinsons’ house and past the gardener, who stopped mowing the lawn to watch him. The front door was locked. He ran around the house and in through the kitchen.

“Elaine!”

He ran through the kitchen and the dining room.

“Elaine! Elaine!”

A door opened upstairs. Benjamin ran part way up the carpeted stairs.

“Elaine!”

“Benjamin?”

“I’m coming up, Elaine!”

“Well, could you wait till I’m dressed?” she said. “I’ll be right down.”

Benjamin hurried to the top of the stairs. Elaine was standing in a doorway at the end of the hall. He rushed the length of the hall to where she was and took her hand to pull her back into the room.

“What is the matter,” she said.

“I want you to meet me on the corner,” Benjamin said, trying to catch his breath. “I want you to go over the back fence and I’ll pick you up on the next street.”

“What are you talking about.”

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“Will you please do that!”

“No,” she said, frowning at him.

“Please!”

“What is happening.”

He began dragging her toward the door but she pulled away from him.

“I’m not even dressed, Benjamin.”

“You are.”

“My shoes.”

“Well get them on.”

“Do you mind if I eat breakfast before we go?”

“Get the shoes on,” Benjamin said. “I’ll be right back.” He ran out the door and down the hall to one of the rooms in the front of the house.

He hurried to a window overlooking the front yard and threw aside the curtain just in time to see Mrs. Robinson appear. She was walking quickly up the street. She walked up onto the lawn. Benjamin turned and ran back through the hall. Elaine was staning in her doorway.

“Why aren’t your shoes on!”

“Because I want to know what’s happening, Benjamin.”

Benjamin hurried past her and into the room. The shoes were beside the bed. He picked them up. “Will you come on!” he said.

“No,” she said. She stood in the center of the room scowling at him.

“Elaine!” Benjamin said.

Suddenly a door slammed downstairs. Benjamin looked up, stood very still for a few seconds, then dropped the shoes on the floor and took one of Elaine’s hands. “Elaine,” he said, “I have to tell you something.”

“What.”

“That woman.”

“What?”

“That woman, Elaine. That older woman.”

“What are you talking about.”

“Elaine,” Benjamin said, shaking his head, “it wasn’t just some woman.”

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“What?”

“It wasn’t just some woman with a husband and a son.”

“Who was it then?”

Mrs. Robinson appeared in the doorway and stopped. Elaine looked at her and then back at Benjamin. “Will somebody please tell me what is—” Suddenly she stopped talking. Her head turned slowly back toward her mother. Mrs. Robinson looked down at the floor, then cleared her throat quietly and left the room. Elaine pulled her hand away from Benjamin but continued staring through the empty doorway.

“Elaine?”

“Oh my God.”

“Elaine?”

“Oh my God,” she said again. She looked for a moment at Benjamin, then walked slowly to her window. She stared out throughthe glass at a house on the other side of the driveway. For a long time it was perfectly quiet. Finally Benjamin took a step toward her. “Elaine?” he said.

She spum around to face him. “Get out of here!” she said.

“But Elaine?”

She rushed across the room to him and began pushing him toward the door. “Get out!” she said.

“But Elaine?”

“Get out! Get out of this house!” She pushed him as far as the doorway and then out through it, slamming the door shut. Then it was perfectly silent again.

Benjamin stood with his head tilted slightly to the side, staring at Mrs. Robinson, who was at the end of the hallway still wearing her green housecoat and standing very straight and motionless, staring back at him.

“Elaine?” he said quietly.

“Oh my God!” Elaine said from the other side of the door.

“Benjamin?” Mrs. Robinson said to him from the end of the hall.

“Goodbye.” She turned around and disappeared into a room and closed the door behind her.

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For several weeks Benjamin stayed at home. Sometimes he would go out by the pool and look down into the water and sometimes he would walk slowly around the block. But usually he sat in his room staring down at the rug or looking out through the window at some wires he could see running along beside the street on telephone poles. Then after he had been home for nearly a month and Christmas had passed and the new year had started he decided to marry Elaine.

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On the morning after he had made his decision Benjamin got up early.

He took a shower and then found a small suitacase in the attic that he had used at college and filled it with clothes and two sheets. He carried the suitcase and the pillow from his bed downstairs and into the kitchen to wait for his parents to get up. When his father came in Benjamin had finished a small breakfast and was sitting at the table with his hands folded in his lap.

“You’re up early,” Mr. Braddock said. He noticed the suitcase on the floor with the pillow resting on top of it and was about to say something more when Benjamin interrupted him.

“I’m going to marry Elaine Robinson,” he said.

“What?”

“I’m going to marry Elaine Robinson,” he said again.

Mr. Braddock stood a moment longer where he was, then walked very slowly to the table and eased himself down into the chair across from his son.

“Are you serious?” he said.

Benjamin nodded.

“You are serious.”

“Yes.”

Mr. Braddock slowly extended his hand. Benjamin shook it.

“I’ll go tell your mother,” Mr. Braddock said. “Wait here.” He stood and hurried out of the kitchen. Benjamin cleared his throat and folded his hands again in his lap.

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Mrs. Braddock came into the kitchen wearing her bathrobe. “What is all the excitement about,” she said.

“Tell your mother,” Mr. Braddock said.

“I’m going to marry Elaine Robinson.”

“What?”

She frowned at Benjamin, then at Mr. Braddock.

“Ben and Elaine,” Mr. Braddock said. “He says they’re getting married.”

Mrs. Braddock stared back at Benjamin, then began shaking her head. “Oh Ben,” she said. She held out her arms. Benjamin stood and walked to her. She hugged him. “Oh Ben,” she said, “I’m crying.”

Mr. Braddock pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket. “Now let him go,” he said, handing it to his wife. “Let’s get the whole story here.” Mrs. Braddock took the handkerchief to dry her eyes. Benjamin returned to his chair.

“Now,” Mr. Braddock said. He turned a chair around and straddled it backwards. “Have you set the date yet.”

“No.”

Mrs. Braddock sat down and reached for one of her son’s hands.

“Have you told the Robinsons yet,” Mr. Braddock said.

“No.”

“Let’s call them right now.”

“No.”

“You want to wait on that.”

“Oh Ben,” Mrs. Braddock said. She began crying again.

Benjamin cleared his throat. “I think I should tell you,” he said, “that Elaine doesn’t know about this yet.”

Mrs. Braddock stopped dabbing at her eyes and lowered the handkerchief slowly from her face.

“She doesn’t know about what yet,” Mr. Braddock said.

“That we’re getting married.”

“What?”

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“I just decided an hour ago to marry her.”

Mr. Braddock glanced at his wife, then back at Benjamin. “Well you’ve certainly talked it over with her.”

Benjamin shook his head.

“But you’ve written her about it.”

“No.”

“Called her?”

“No.”

“Well good God, Ben,” Mr. Braddock said. “You get us all excited here, now you’re saying you haven’t even proposed?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Mr. Braddock stood. He looked down at the suitcase on the floor.

“What’s all this about,” he said, pointing at it.

“I’m driving up to Berkeley today.”

“To propose to her?”

“That’s right.”

“Well,” Mr. Braddock said, taking his handkerchief back from his wife and stuffing it into his pocket, “this sounds kind of half-baked. What are you taking your gear up for.”

“I’m moving up there.”

“To live?”

“Yes.”

“Ben?” Mrs. Braddock said, frowning at him. “We thought you meant—”

“Wait a minute,” Mr. Braddock said. “She’s up there finishing school.

You plan to just go up there and live near her?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Braddock shook his head. “Ben, you can’t do that.”

“That’s what I’m doing.”

“You sit down and write her a letter,” Mr. Braddock said. “Call her on the phone. But you can’t go up there and pester that girl just because you have nothing better to do.”

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“I love her,” Benjamin said. He stood and leaned down to kiss his mother’s cheek. Then he picked up the suitcase and pillow from the floor.

“Ben, listen to me,” his father said. “I’m sure you do love her. And I think this is a fine thing. You and Elaine. But good God, man!”

Benjamin walked to the door.

“But you hardly know the girl, Ben. How do you know she wants to marry you.”