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Show qo Men moved toward the disaster area to see about Bill; Roland turned all his attention to Joan, stroked her head and comforted her and cherished her. Bill was dead. He had died as quickly as if he really had been struck by a train, and so Roland took Joan home with him and consoled her and waited on her. He took care of everything, die funeral, collected die insurance (not much of Bill's left; he had borrowed on it to finance the perfect hi-fi), paid the bills, some out of his own pocket, and together they buried him. Then he found her a small apartment near her work and courted her in earnest. In his old but tuned-up Ford he drove her to his apartment and told her he loved her, and she, with the void gaping before her, had never felt more amorous in her life. But she didn't feel like making any kind of a decision, none; she felt like being swept away, off her feet, no responsibilities. But even then, plaintively, she was asking him Why oh why didn't he get tenure? Lately she had grown enamored of the sound of Dr. and Mrs. Roland Po-lenaski; nothing sounded more melodious to her dreaming ears. Naw, he said inelegantly, and took her in his arms. I'd sooner stay itinerant, he said, and kissed her. She resisted. Come on, baby, he said, I could not love you half so much loved I not freedom more. So being an itinerant comes first! Freedom comes first, and that means- She broke into tears. Oh, and I can't live without you! she wailed, and threw herself into his arms. He caught her greedily. And kissed her and held her with those hands until his heart's embrace was made flesh-an embrace sometimes referred to as the most intimate possible. And through it all she was gently dreaming, dreaming of tenure and of faculty receptions, dreaming of her own very clever little brick house, dreaming of her own private botanist to do the grounds. Roland only laughed and let her dream, lived with her and loved her and let her dream, but he wasn't about to let her dream him into behaving himself and burying his talents. And so one dark night while she lay dreaming, he purred away in his tuned-up Ford, off to a new job at another college, itinerant to the last. hi-fi 177 |
