‘You mean you…’
‘I mean I have Gaskell and Gaskell has plastic.’ It’s an elastic relationship. The marriage with the two-way stretch.’
Eva digested this information with difficulty. It didn’t seem right somehow. ‘Didn’t his parents have anything to say about it?’ she asked. ‘I mean did he tell them about you helping him and all that?’
‘Say? What could they say? G told them he’d met me at summer school and Pringsy’s greedy little eyes popped out of his greasy little head. Baby, did that fat little man have penis projection. Sell? He could sell anything. The Rockefeller Centre to Rockefeller. So he accepted me. Old Ma Pringsheim didn’t. She fluffed and she puffed and she blew but this little piggy stayed right where the bank was. G and me went back to California and G graduated in plastic and we’ve been biodegradable ever since.’
‘I’m glad Henry isn’t like that,’ said Eva. ‘I couldn’t live with a man who was queer.’
‘G’s not queer, honey. Like I said he’s a plastic freak.’
‘If that’s not queer I don’t know what is’ said Eva.
Sally lit a cigarillo.
‘All men get turned on by something,’ she said. ‘They’re manipulable. All you’ve got to do is fend the kink. I should know.’
‘Henry’s not like that. I’d know if he was.’
‘So he makes with the doll. That’s how much you know about Henry. You telling me he’s the great lover?’
‘We’ve been married twelve years. It’s only natural we don’t do it as often as we used to. We’re so busy.’
‘Busy lizzie. And while you’re housebound what’s Henry doing?’
‘He’s taking classes at the Tech. He’s there all day and he comes home tired
‘Takes classes takes asses. You’ll be telling me next he’s not a sidewinder.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’ said Eva.
‘He has his piece on the side. His secretary knees up on the desk.’
‘He doesn’t have a secretary.’
‘Then students prudence. Screws their grades up. I know. I’ve seen it. I’ve been around colleges too long to be fooled.’
‘I’m sure Henry would never…’
‘That’s what they all say and then bingo, it’s divorce and bobbysex and all you’re left to look forward to is menopause and peeking through the blinds at the man next door and waiting for the Fuller Brush man.’
‘You make it all sound so awful.’ said Eva. ‘You really do.’
‘It is, Eva teats. It is. You’ve got to do something, about it before it’s too late. You’ve got to liberate yourself from Henry. Make the break and share the cake. Otherwise it’s male domination doomside.’
Eva sat on the bunk and thought about the future. It didn’t seem to hold trench for her. They would never have any children now and they wouldn’t ever have much money. They would go on living in Park-dew Avenue and paying off the mortgage and maybe Henry would find someone else and then what would she do? And even if he didn’t, life was passing her by.
‘I wish I knew what to do,’ she said presently. Sally sat up and put her arm round her.
‘Why don’t you come to the States with us in November?’ she said. ‘We could have such fun.’
‘Oh I couldn’t do that,’ said Eva. ‘It wouldn’t be fair to Henry.’
No such qualms bothered Inspector Flint. Wilt’s intransigence under intense
