The Temple of Gold (15 page)

“What are you doing home?”

“School’s out,” he answered.

I nodded and started getting up, but still being dizzy from the night before, I couldn’t quite find the handle.

“You seem in fine shape,” he said to me, sniffing. “And you smell nice too.” I didn’t say anything. He began hitting me on the arm. “Want to go a few rounds?”

“No,” I told him. “I don’t.”

“And I loved your letters,” he went on. “Nothing like letters to keep things alive. Boy. That last one of yours was a riot.”

“Cut it out,” I said.

“No, Euripides. You cut it out.”

“I’m trying, Zock,” I answered. “Believe me. That’s just what I’m trying to do.” And right then I told him. Everything that had happened since he’d left. About the shaft, Professor Janes, my drinking, the works.

“That Annabelle sounds like a terrific girl,” he said when I was quiet again. “Great. Somehow, though, I think I prefer Marjorie Bluestone.”

And when I heard her name I started laughing. It wasn’t funny but that didn’t matter. I fell back on the bed, rolling around, kicking my heels, tears streaming down my face. It was the first time I’d laughed in a month so I kept at it, forcing it until I ached.

“Who died?” Zoch said, watching me. And then: “Come on over and let’s have lunch. Move.”

So I did. Bunny was there and we yacked it up, laughing at all the dumb things Mrs. Crowe said, finally driving her out. Then just the three of us talked, about this and that, nothing in particular, but mostly the old times, and it really made me feel good, sitting there. It was middle afternoon when Bunny stood up.

“I have to go change,” she said.

Zock nodded. “We’re all going for dinner tonight,” he explained.

“You’re busy then?”

“Come along,” he said. “You know you’re welcome.”

“No. Thanks anyway.”

“What will you do?”

“The Crib,” I said.

“When are you going?”

“Now,” I told him. “Before the rush-hour traffic.”

“Stop being melodramatic,” Zock snapped. He pulled at his lip awhile. “Tell you what. I’ll go along. I’ll get dressed now and go on out there with you. Pick you up around seven?” he asked Bunny. She didn’t say anything. “O.K.? You mind? Look, I can’t let Euripides drink alone when I’m around. You don’t mind.”

Bunny hesitated a long time. “Just be sure you’re sober at seven,” she answered, finally. Then, kissing him once, she skipped on out.

It took a while for Zock to get ready. He chose a white shirt and a dark-gray suit and a striped tie. I gave him trouble all along the line, horsing with him, hiding his shoes, mussing his hair, and like that. He made it though, and then we drove out to the Crib.

“What a great place,” he said as we walked in. “I’d forgotten. You could live and die in here and never know the sun was shining.”

“Darkness gives atmosphere,” I explained. “And charm. And also hides how dirty the glasses are.”

We sat over in a corner and started drinking, Zock taking Scotch, nursing it along slow, while I had double whiskies. Pretty soon I began to relax, for liquor soothes me, it always has, though I suppose that is more of a curse than a blessing. I leaned back in my chair and listened as he talked about Harvard. And the way he did it, it seemed like a wonderful place.

“So how were your grades?” I asked.

“I got one B,” he answered. “But in the others I did all right.”

“Well, you’re not so goddam smart,” I told him. “Because I got one B, too. In gym. So don’t try telling me anything.”

“You always were outstanding in academics,” he said. “You’ll probably end up a college professor too, before it’s all over.”

“Indeed,” I said, imitating my father. “The sex symbol in Euripides,” I started off, “symbolizes, naturally, sex. There is the bull symbol, which symbolizes male sex. And there is the cow symbol, which symbolizes female sex. And then there is the calf symbol, which symbolizes carelessness. All together, there are nine calf symbols in Medea, seven of them in the chorus. All of which leads us to the conclusion that... and I went on for a while longer.

“You’ll cause a sensation,” Zock said, nursing his Scotch.

“Gimme,” I said, grabbing his glass. “It’s refill time.”

“You know, you could always stop.”

“I suppose so,” I answered. “But I’m not about to.” I said that very slow and carefully, as I was pretty far gone already. I went to the bar, snuck an extra one, then came back with our refills. He was looking at his watch when I got there.

“I have to leave in fifteen minutes,” he said. “You come too.”

“Why don’t you skip it, Zock? Look, you can see Bunny all summer, so why don’t you skip it?”

“Because we’re both leaving in fifteen minutes,” he answered. “And I mean that.”

We didn’t talk for a while then, but just sat quietly over in that corner. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Zock,” I said. “For chrissakes. How could she do it to me?”

“Who?”

“Don’t be funny. Annabelle.”

“Be happy she did,” Zock said. “Now. We’re going in five minutes.”

I managed to make it back to the bar for another, but it was getting tougher each time. I crashed down in the chair and stared across at him. “That girl is a no-good bitch,” I said. “Do you know that?”

“Very likely,” he answered.

“But I love her. She’s a no-good bitch and I love her. Why is that?”

“Beats me,” Zock said. “It probably has to do with your metabolism.”

“I really love her,” I said again. “Isn’t that amazing?”

“My mother tells me time heals all wounds.”

“Crap!” I said.

“Nicely put,” he said. “It has a ring to it. Crap. I must remember that word.” He stood up. “Let’s go.”

I shook my head. “I’m not leaving.”

“You just think you’re not leaving,” he answered, pulling at me. I shook free and swallowed my drink. “We’re going home to beddy-bye, Euripides. Whether you like it or not.”

“This is my home.”

“I told you once to stop being melodramatic. I’ve got a weak stomach.” Then, somehow, me fighting all the way, he got me outside. The cooler air hit me and I sagged against him. “Get in the car,” he said.

I broke loose and sat on the ground. “I’m not going anywhere unless I drive,” I said. “I’m staying right here unless I drive.”

“You’re not driving,” he said, trying to lift me. “You couldn’t.”

“I can drive as well as you. Better. I can drive as well as anybody. I’m probably the best driver in the whole state of Illinois.”

“Very likely,” Zock said. “But tonight you’re not going to. So get up.” I didn’t move. He got in the car. “I’m leaving,” he said. “Right now. I’m not kidding, Euripides.” I still didn’t move. “This is your last chance,” he told me. “I’m leaving.” Then he drove off.

But he came back, naturally. About two minutes later he pulled up in front of me. “O.K.,” he said. “You win. You can drive.”

“Now you’re using the old bean,” I said, getting in the car. We started off, creeping down the center of the highway.

“You’re doing fine,” Zock said. “Keep it up.”

“I’ll do finer,” I told him, pressing down a little on the gas pedal and singing. “ ‘Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning. Nothing could be sweeter than my sweetie when I meet her in the morning.’ ”

“No faster,” he said. “Don’t forget.”

“ ‘I have forgot much, Cynara. Gone with the wind. Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng.’ Zock? Why is it ‘roses, roses’? Why are there two of them? Why wouldn’t just the one rose be enough?”

“Well,” he began, staring out the window at the sun, which was starting to head on down. “Maybe so people like you would ask questions. Or maybe...”

He stopped talking then and tried grabbing at my leg as I pushed down on the gas pedal. I pushed it farther and farther and when I felt it touch the floor I kept it there, the motor roaring in our ears. I don’t know how fast we were going, but pretty soon we were out of control.

Just before it happened, Zock looked at me and said something.

Then we hit.

We smashed into Half Day Bridge going full speed and I guess the door on my side must have sprung open, because the next thing I knew I was lying twisted on the edge, watching as the car roared down into the ravine, rolling over and over, bending, buckling, scraping, until it hit the bottom with a crash and rested there, upside down, the four wheels still spinning around and around and around.

I made it to my feet. “Zock,” I whispered. “Can you hear me? Are you all right?” I began losing control. “Zock! Can you hear me? Say something. Answer me. Zock!” I started down the ravine but lost my footing and crashed the rest of the way, rolling over and over, like the car. “Zock!!!” and I guess I was screaming, for by then, I was next to it. The first thing I did was to stop those wheels from turning. I walked around the car, very slow, carefully putting my hands up on the wheels, stopping them. Then, when I was all done with that, I reached inside and pulled him out.

There was nothing to him. Covered with blood, he looked like a rag doll smeared with jam. His arms bent the wrong way. His ribs stuck out through his white shirt. Blood was still streaming from his mouth.

I stood up and the last thing I remember was staring at that beautiful sunset and thinking: “Not like this. There’s been a mistake made somewhere. It just couldn’t happen on a night like this.”

Then I crumbled. ...

When I came to, somebody was poking away at my cheek and I looked up to find myself in an ambulance with a doctor staring down at me. I blinked a couple of times.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Where are we?”

“Parked along the bridge. How do you feel?”

“How’s Zock?” He didn’t answer. I sat up slowly. “How’s Zock?” I asked again.

“You’ve got a nasty cut along your cheek,” he said. I put my hand up and felt it. It went all the way from my temple to my chin. I pulled my fingers away, red.

“But you won’t need stitches,” he told me.

“He’s dead?”

“Yes,” he mumbled, his back to me, fiddling with something. “In a few weeks, it won’t even show.”

“I want it to show,” I said. His back was still to me as I reached up with my fingers and placed them in the cut. Then I pushed it open, stretching the skin, digging in with my fingers until I could almost hear the skin as it split, farther and farther. Blood started streaming down my face, almost blinding me. I blinked it away.

He turned, and when he saw what I was doing he came at me, grabbing for my fingers. But I pushed him off, threw open the door to the ambulance, and stepped out.

They were all there, standing quietly on Half Day Bridge, with the sun almost down and just the last red rays slicing in, hitting them, making them look like a band of silent Indians. My folks, and Zock’s, and Bunny with hers, all dressed up for the dinner celebration. They were staring down the ravine at the half-dozen men—police and white-coated doctors—who were crowded around Zock’s body like so many flies.

“Get away from him,” I yelled. “Leave him alone.”

“There he is,” Mrs. Crowe shouted when she heard me. “There he is. There he is.” She came running up. I started to say something but before I could she was slapping me, crying hysterically and slapping me, saying: “Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!” over and over. I didn’t move but just stood there, letting her hit me, the blood pouring down my face and dripping onto her clothes, spotting them. Mr. Crowe came up, tried to pull her away, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the doctor from the ambulance standing there, waiting.

“Don’t stop her,” I said to Mr. Crowe. “It’s all right.”

But he pulled her away and when I was free I took off down the ravine to where Zock was. They had moved him, had tried to straighten him out, but it didn’t do any good. His bones still stuck out through the cloth of his bloody white shirt.

Then Bunny was holding me, crying and pale.

“Bunny, I’m sorry,” I said.

“At the end,” she whispered. “At the end. Did he say anything?”

I nodded: “He said: ‘Tell Bunny I love her.’ ” Which wasn’t what he’d said at all, but I figured I’d done enough to her already that night. One lie more or less wasn’t going to change anything.

She let me go and started back up the ravine. I could hear Mrs. Crowe crying and screaming, “Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!” and her words echoed there, in the ravine, with the sun going down.

I knelt beside Zock. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Zock, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Honest to God, Zock, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” chanting it over and over, trying to drown out the echoes of Mrs. Crowe.

“Shock,” I heard a doctor say, and then he slapped a needle into my arm. I got dizzy and fell over on top of Zock, grabbing him, clutching what was left of him. Just before I went out I heard the doctor telling somebody, I suppose my father, not to worry, as I would be O.K. again in three days. And he was right.

Because four days later I enlisted.

I
NEVER LIKED THE
Army; I never hated it. I don’t think you can. It’s just something you have to accept, like the law of gravity, since it was here before you were and it’ll be here when you’re gone. It’s ridiculous to go around thinking: “That goddam law of gravity, I’ll fix its wagon.” How are you going to do it? Answer: you can’t. It would be nice, on a hot summer day, to float up a couple hundred feet and cool off. But that’s impossible, so why worry about it. The law of gravity has its points, good and bad.

So does the Army. Everybody talks about its bad points, but the good ones are there too. It doesn’t ask you a bunch of questions when you join up, such as what you’re running away from and why. All it cares is that you can breathe and sign your name, and if you can’t even do that, it’ll teach you. Which is as fair, I think, as anything you’re apt to find, in this world at least. No, the Army isn’t all bad; it just seems that way.

And what happens, when you’re in it for a while, is that you forget about it. Like everything else that rules you from way off. You don’t walk the streets thinking: “I am walking the streets because the goddam law of gravity keeps me here.” If you do, you’ll go nuts in no time. And so it is with the Army.